In "Side Orders, " a collection of short essays on Southern cookery and culture, John Egerton writes that iced tea is a "monument to simplicity, " a drink that requires "nothing supplementary to make it delicious." Egerton says that the "usual refinements --- sugar, lemon, mint --- are like so much frosting on a fine cake."

But press the Nashville-based author and activist for his favorite iced tea recipe and he reveals himself to be an embellisher, the kind of fellow who trowels the frosting on with a heavy hand. He's also a generous soul, willing to share that recipe with readers.

Other Southern cookbook authors and chefs get even more creative with sweet tea, spiking it with their favorite spirits or using it to flavor dishes sweet and savory. Here's a sample.