Bourbon Iced Tea Cocktail
A southern-style cocktail with sweetened iced tea, lemon, and bourbon. This grown-up twist on the quintessential drink of the South goes down smooth and is perfect for simple gatherings.
Growing up in the South, iced tea was always the go-to beverage for family reunions, church socials, Sunday suppers, and backyard barbecues (or pig pickins’). And the sweeter, the better!
However, this version is for adults only! Make a pitcher of bourbon iced tea for a Southern themed dinner party, a casual summer cookout, or to enjoy with the neighbors while sitting on the front porch.
Ingredient Notes
- Tea. Make your own pitcher of iced tea following the instructions in the card below. You can always adjust the sugar to your liking. Some love their tea very sweet while others like a more subtle sweetness. As a substitute you can purchase a gallon of prepared ice tea from the grocery store or favorite restaurant.
- Lemons. Go ahead and get a bag of lemons because you’re going to want to use real lemon juice for best flavor. The amount of juice you get from each one will depend on their size so it’s best to have more than you think you need. Plus, you’ll want the extras to cut into wedges for garnish.
- Bourbon. The flavors of bourbon can vary greatly so if you have a favorite, use it! Some of my go-to brands are Jim Beam for an economical choice, Knobb Creek, Woodford Reserve, Bulleit, or Maker’s Mark.
Quick Tip
You can also have a selection of bitters on hand for guests to add to their individual drink – you only need a couple of dashes. Bitters is a great way to ‘wake up’ your cocktail and give it that little something extra. For bourbon iced tea, try walnut bitters, classic aromatic bitters, orange bitters, or cherry bitters.
How To Make It
- Make the pitcher of iced tea up to a day ahead, and chill.
- Add bourbon and lemon juice, stir, and serve over ice.
For A Single Serving
Combine the ingredients together over ice, and garnish with lemon slice.
- 4 ounces of iced tea
- 1 ½ ounces bourbon
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
For a shortcut, use bottled Lipton Half & Half Tea and Lemonade. It’s already got the lemon juice added so you don’t need to add more.
Helpful Tips
This drink is VERY customizable. As with most cocktails you can adjust the amount of alcohol to your liking. If you want it less boozy, use 1 cup of bourbon. If you want more of a kick, add 2 cups.
In the same vein, you can make your iced tea sweeter or less so, and you can add more or less lemon juice. It really is all up to you!
If you already have a pitcher of iced tea chilled and you want to make it sweeter, stir in simple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Granulated sugar doesn’t dissolve well in cold beverages.
More Ice Tea Recipes
If you like this sweet tea and bourbon cocktail, you’ll love this Kentucky mule. It’s a southern twist on the Moscow mule, and uses bourbon instead of vodka. Or, set up an iced tea bar for a party beverage station and let guests help themselves to different varieties.
Other ways to enjoy a refreshing glass include this easy blackberry iced tea with lemonade, or delicious pomegranate iced tea. Both are family friendly with the option to add alcohol.
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Sweet Iced Tea and Bourbon recipe
Add a spirited twist to sweetened iced tea with the addition of bourbon. Fresh lemon juice balances the sweetness of the tea and bourbon for a refreshing southern cocktail.
Ingredients
- 8 cups cold water, DIVIDED
- 8 regular size black tea bags
- ½ cup sugar, or to taste
- 1 ½ cups bourbon
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
- Garnish: lemon wedges, fresh mint
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add tea bags. Allow the tea bags to steep for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags from the water and add sugar while it’s still hot; stir until dissolved.
- Let the tea cool and then add the remaining 4 cups of cold water to the tea in a large pitcher, and refrigerate until needed.
- When chilled, pour in bourbon and lemon juice and stir.
- Serve over ice and garnish with lemon and fresh mint if desired.
Notes
Optional: provide flavored bitters such as walnut, cherry, orange, or traditional and let guests add a couple of dashes to their drink.
