While many versions of Nashville’s Fruit Tea call for frozen concentrated juices or lemonades, Carole Nelson says her mother, who ran the Commerce Union dining room in the late 1960s, “would never.” We’ve adapted her recipe for a modern take that reduces the sugar and pays homage to Daisy King of Miss Daisy’s Kitchen, too, with the addition of pineapple juice. If you’d like to add a touch of cinnamon as Kathy Bonnet does for her popular version at the Picnic Cafe, you have that option here as well.
Drinks
Fruit Tea Punch
Make your own version of the refreshing Nashville original

photo: Jacqueline Stofsick
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 cups (or about 12 ounces) freshly squeezed orange juice, about 6 oranges
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 5-6 lemons
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
12 regular-sized tea bags (or 3 family-sized bags)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1 cup sugar
Mint springs and slices of lemon as garnish
Preparation
Combine juices in a gallon-sized pitcher.
Brew tea by bringing four cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add cinnamon stick (if using) and tea bags, dipping and swirling them in the water to fully submerge. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and add the sugar, stirring to thoroughly dissolve. Allow tea to cool somewhat (about 10 minutes) before adding to the fruit juices. Add water to fill a pitcher and stir to combine with a long-handled spoon.
Refrigerate tea for a few hours or overnight. Remove cinnamon stick (if using) and serve over ice with springs of mint and a slice of lemon.
Recipe by Jennifer Justus
Related Stories:

Recipe
Himalaya Fried Chicken
Sample the universal appeal of a Houston chef’s Indian meets Pakistani meets Tex-Mex cooking

Recipe
The “Private Plane” Cocktail
Shake up a bourbon classic

What's in Season
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
As the temperatures drop, cozy up with this recipe starring the bright orange root veggie
Trending Stories:

Books
The Lasting Power of Larry McMurtry’s Not-So-Secret Texas Truths
In a new book, writers pay homage to his words. Read an exclusive excerpt here

Food & Drink
Six Grilling Tips from Rodney Scott and Bryan Furman
The Southern pitmasters share a few rules of thumb

Arts & Culture
Meet Blackmon Huckabee Jr., Clemson’s Viral TikTok Crooner
A Tiger wide receiver scores big on SportsCenter—with his singing voice