My mother made sweet tea when I was a kid in southern Illinois, then I took a liking to unsweetened tea with lemon. I got back to the sweet tea after traveling a lot in the South. Fast food sweet tea is hit or miss. It depends on who is making it, and the sugar has to be added when the tea is still hot. It’s not fast food, but I like Cracker Barrel’s sweet tea.
Living and growing up on the Westside of Chgo but with the family farm in Southern Illinois I split my life between the city and the country. One staple that was ALWAYS in our refrigerator was a pitcher of Sweet Tea...year round. My father’s family were from Tennessee and lived in Chgo...My Grannie always had a pitcher of sweet tea in her refrigerator, year round. Of course all my city friends made fun of this and didn’t understand but then we were referred to as hillbillies. Now after seventy years of life I’m in Tennessee and always have a gallon of sweet tea in my refrigerator. Captain D’s is the best...buy it by the gallon. Nothin better than living in the South and having a glass of sweet tea on the veranda.