In
Iced Tea, author Fred Thompson serves up 50 vibrant variations on "the house wine of the South," using black, green, and oolong teas ("considered by some to be the Lafite Rothschild of teas") as well as tisanes, which are teas made not from tea leaves but from flowers, herbs, and spices. Recipes range from Southern-Style Iced Tea--a basic formula of tea, water, and sugar--to Teatotaler's Sangria, which combines chilled green tea with peaches, oranges, and other fresh fruits. Other notable concoctions include the tropically tinged Bimini Island Iced Tea; Cha Yen, or Thai Iced Tea, which uses condensed and evaporated milk; and the classic Sweet Tea, whose main ingredient is sugar--and lots of it. ("A visitor to the South once said that it made his teeth hurt," writes the author.) There's also a section of mixed alcoholic drinks.
"Tea is the world's second most popular beverage, after water," says Thompson, and it has noted health benefits; its consumption has been linked to lower instances of cancer and strokes. Iced Tea should help readers pursue good health--and have a delicious time doing it. --Andy Boynton
Fred Thompson is a writer and food stylist who divides his time between Raleigh, North Carolina, and New York City. His career has taken him to the North, but Thompson remains true to his Southern roots, holding fast to his accent and love of all things Southern - especially food. Thompson trained at the Culinary Institute of America and became involved in print and television advertising before starting his own catering business in Raleigh, which he ran from 1988 to 1994. Today, Thompson works as a freelance food stylist, cooking instructor, and food, wine, and travel writer, and runs his own product- and recipe-development business. Thompson has written several cookbooks, including Iced Tea, Lemonade, Crazy for Crab, Barbecue Nation, and Hot Chocolate. Thompson publishes Edible Piedmont magazine, which focuses on food in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, with his wife, Belinda Ellis, who serves as the magazine's editor. He has been featured on NPR, and is a spokesperson for Lipton Cold Brew. Thompson writes "The Weekend Gourmet," a bi-weekly column in The Raleigh News & Observer. His work has appeared in Family Circle, Wine & Spirits, Fine Cooking, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. Thompson is also a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Southern Foodways Alliance.