Strawberry Iced Tea -- with a sweet kick

Southerners are iced tea experts, and this spiked iced tea recipe hits every mark.

Strawberry-sweet and so refreshing, plus a little fizz and a Duplin wine kick make this Strawberry Mint Iced Tea a true crowd pleaser.

We like to use frozen strawberries instead of ice cubes to keep the drink frosty and gorgeous. And we make some adjustments for our favorite tea drinkers. If they like their tea extra sweet, we use sweetened green tea and add strawberry soda for the fizz. If they're more unsweetened or half-and-half kind of tea people, we go with unsweetened tea and strawberry seltzer.

Either way, the drink gets plenty of strawberry flavor thanks to strawberry juice or a juice blend like cranberry-strawberry. We love a touch of mint in iced tea. Cotton Candy Peppermint wine gave us the exact subtle refreshment we were looking for.

This tea is perfect for spring parties, bridal showers and brunch. Pour it has light cocktail before dinner or pack up the ingredients to sip all weekend on your next vacation -- even if it's just to the back yard.