I was with a Southerner in a pizza/seafood (yes, really) restaurant in Hannibal, Missouri. He ordered sweet tea, and proceeded to tell the sweet young waitress exactly how to prepare it from scratch - and it didn’t mean just dump a couple of sugar packets into the glass.
Poor thing; she stood there staring like he really expected her to do it.
I don’t think that of the cooks(?) on the Food Channel knows how to do it justice.
In our Alabama Family Reunions, certain Aunts are the Designated Sweet Tea brewers! It’s not Kosher for anyone else to bring their own! Strange thing is most of those had names like Bessie Mae, Bessie Lee or Ruby Lee. Not to many named Brittany.