Brian Nagele
Sweet tea is a southern institution. The drink requires greater finesse than simply adding sugar to iced tea. Southern residents take the beverage incredibly seriously; proper sweet tea needs to meet exacting standards to get their stamp of approval.
Pairing sweet tea with vodka risks compromising the beverage’s integrity. Done right, however, sweet tea vodka is a delicious, refreshing adult drink, perfect for a warm night on the porch reading Faulkner.
We’ve selected the best sweet tea vodka brands, examined their strengths, and offered some serving suggestions. Grab a glass and some ice and prepare for an authentic southern taste sensation.
These vodkas capture the essence of sweet, southern tea. Try making some cocktails with them!
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka takes drinkers back to where it all began. The Firefly distillery began making sweet tea vodka in 2008, the first company to do so.
The South Carolina company makes the spirit from locally sourced tea. A neighboring plantation provides the tea leaves, while Louisiana sugarcane sweetens the pot.
The vodka tastes strongly of sweet tea up front, with the vodka flavor arriving near the end of the sip.
The liquor tastes excellent straight but contributes beautifully to cocktails—the vodka pairs well with lemonade for a hard Arnold Palmer.
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka weighs in at 35 percent alcohol by volume, so mixing it helps cut the impact of the drink.
Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka
Jeremiah Weed cut its teeth on bourbon and whiskey. The company applied its southern distillation know-how to sweet tea vodka with delicious results.
Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka’s spirits use top-quality tea leaves and natural sugar cane.
The vodka captures the authentic flavor of genuine southern sweet tea, with a welcome vodka kick at the end of the sip.
Jeremiah Weed carries 35 percent alcohol by volume. While the brand is technically discontinued, many merchants still carry Jeremiah Wee bottles for curious drinkers.
Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka
Sweet Tea Vodka launched the Deep Eddy brand in 2010. Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka is the company’s flagship product, a sweet and delicious spirit with a full flavor that continues to draw fans.
Based in Austin, Texas, Deep Eddy uses all-natural ingredients in sweet tea vodka. The distillers sweeten the spirit with locally sourced honey.
While this renders the beverage undrinkable to vegans, it does add an organic sweetness to the liquor.
Deep Eddy distills the vodka ten times and uses organic tea leaves. The spirit tastes bright, reminiscent of sun tea. You’ll notice subtle fig and lemon flavors rounding out each sip.
Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka contains caffeine, so don’t drink too much before bed. The 35 percent abv vodka mixes well in cocktails and goes down easy on its own.
Burnett’s Sweet Tea
Burnett’s makes authentic American vodka. The Kentucky distillers began making vodka in 2000.
Burnett’s has become one of the best-selling vodka brands since launching. The company now makes 28 flavors of vodka, including a delicious sweet tea variety.
Burnett’s Sweet Tea vodka tastes precisely like the southern staple. The spirit is appropriately sweet, enhanced with bright lemon flavors.
Burnett’s quadruple distills and triple filters its vodka. The resulting alcohol adds a tangy twist to the sweet tea.
The spirit contains 30 percent alcohol by volume and makes a refreshing solo sip. The vodka is very sweet, so consider mixing it with a slightly dryer beverage to create an authentic southern cocktail.
Seagrams Sweet Tea
Seagrams established itself as a vodka force to be reckoned with in 1857.
The Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distillery uses only American-sourced ingredients. Seagrams grains grow in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
Seagrams distills ten vodka flavors. Seagrams Sweet Tea vodka captures the essence of the southern favorite.
The company makes the spirit specifically for solo drinking. While the vodka can mix into delicious cocktails, enjoy it over ice for a refreshing sip.
Seagrams Sweet Tea vodka carries less sugar than most brands. Notes of caramel and honey enhance the black tea flavor.
Clover honey and cane sugar add just enough sweetness to the spirit. Seagrams Sweet Tea vodka contains 35 percent alcohol by volume.
Sweet Carolina Sweet Tea
Sweet Caroline Sweet Tea proves that northern states can handle southern classics.
The Maine-based distillery perfectly emulates the essential elements of sweet tea.
Sweet Carolina Sweet Tea vodka comes in six flavors:
- Classic Sweet Tea
- Mint Sweet Tea
- Peach Sweet Tea
- Raspberry Sweet Tea
- Half & Half Tea and Lemonade
- Lemonade
The vodka is exceptionally smooth and goes down easy, especially when served over ice. Each flavor sips deliciously solo and mixes into delicious cocktails.
The classic sweet tea vodka tastes like an authentic southern drink with a slightly floral undertone. The spirit weighs in at the standard 35 percent alcohol by volume.
