Sweet tea lemonade by the gallon: half Southern-style sweet tea and half fresh lemonade, made the night before and poured over ice. It serves 16, has no alcohol, and the kids, drivers and early risers in the lot can all drink from the same jug.
Serves: 16 (about 8 oz each) · Hands-on: about 25 min · Total: about 2½ hours, mostly chilling
Home gear: a large heatproof pitcher or pot, a juicer, two 1-gallon jugs with tight lids
Pack for the lot
- 2 jugs of sweet tea lemonade, in the cooler
- Lemon slices and mint, sealed, in the cooler
- Bag of ice for the cups
- Pitcher or a drink dispenser
- 20 cups
- Napkins and trash bags
Lot notes
- Fuel: none. It's all made at home.
- Holding it cold: keep the jugs at 40°F or below in the cooler and pour a pitcher at a time. Ice goes in the cups, not the jug, so the batch doesn't water down.
- Two ice bags: the cooler ice has touched the jugs. Bring a separate bag for the cups.
- Cleanup: jugs go home. Cups and lemon slices go in the trash bag.
Can you make sweet tea lemonade ahead?
Yes. Make it up to 2 days ahead and keep it capped in the fridge. Add the lemon slices and mint at the lot, since they get bitter if they sit in the jug overnight.
How do you keep it cold at a tailgate?
Leave the jugs in the cooler and pour a pitcher at a time, with ice in the cups instead of the jug. In the heat, keep the pitcher in the shade and put it back in the cooler between rounds.
How much do you need for 20 people?
On a hot day plan on about 10 oz each, which is about 1½ gallons. Make 1½ batches: 9 tea bags, 3 cups of sugar in all and 2¼ cups of lemon juice (12 to 15 lemons), with the water scaled the same way.
Can you use store-bought sweet tea and lemonade?
Yes. Mix ½ gallon of each in a 1-gallon jug and chill it overnight. It's the same half-and-half ratio, just sweeter than the homemade version.