It's been (gasp!) seven years since I left Nashville, and there's still so much about my time there that's stuck with me, namely great friends (you know who you are) and fling tea.
Yes, before I moved to Music City in 1998, I had no idea that hashbrowns could be scattered, smothered or covered. I'd also never heard of a "meat and three" or that ham hocks were a foundational ingredient in cooking vegetables of all things.
It was a brave new world, and one of my favorite culinary discoveries happened a full year and a half after I'd arrived. On my first day of working at CCM, my editors took me out for lunch to celebrate, and I had my first sip of fling tea at Calypso Cafe.
Now whenever I've had a fruit-flavored tea in the past, it was basically unsweetened iced tea with a hint of raspberry, lime or whatever.
But fling tea, well, that was something different altogether. The iced tea itself plays more of a supporting role and is paired with a medley of juices that are infused with warm spices. It's a unique flavor pairing and totally addictive, and to me, it was basically heaven in a glass.
After living in St. Paul and making my way to DFW, I naturally assumed that living in the south would equal an abundance of fling tea in restaurants again. Sadly, though, I was wrong, which means I basically needed to learn to make it myself.
And thanks to my pal Laura MacCorkle who served it at a potluck (yes, she also lived in Nashville once, too), I was now armed with the recipe for making superb fling tea at home. In fact, I'm happy to report that I'm sipping some as we speak...
Now for your drinking pleasure, here's the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.
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