southern sweet tea (terrible photo)
See the recipe in notes.
This beverage is available in most of the south eastern United States. It is called "sweet tea" or occasionally "sweet iced tea". A few hundred years ago, it was "iced tea punch".
The amount of sugar in it varies a little, by one's taste. To get the best effect, the "bite" of the tea and the sweetness of the sugar should hit one's senses at the same moment. If you notice one before the other, then it should be adjusted.
The most essential part of sweet tea is its impact in the mouth. It must not be at all viscous or syrupy. It must not have an odor. It must be cold -- not just cool. Most important of all -- the sugar must be added at brew time; is is impossible to get the same taste with sugar once the tea is already steeped; ask not the reason, for I have no idea.
See also: www.flickr.com/photos/porbem/47410167/in/pool-southernexp...