A Drink for All Occasions and All Seasons
Isabel Teague Beasley—later Isabel Beasley Watson, and lovingly called Mah Mah by all her grandchildren—was the great-grandmother of one of my closest friends, Isabel Watson Barnes, an artist and creative director at We Time Audio House in Providence. While I never met Mah Mah myself, her legacy lives on not just in stories, but also in the deeply rooted comfort of her fruited mint tea.
A Southern woman of the early 20th century, Mah Mah wasn’t known for elaborate meals. According to Isabel, she preferred a good book, a game of dominos or bridge, or slowly sipping a cocktail on the porch over spending too much time in the kitchen. But she had her specialties—and this tea was one of them.
I remember sitting with Isabel one warm summer afternoon, just after she returned from her summer trip home to Alabama. The air was still, the kind of quiet heat that makes you pause, and she recounted the recipe to me. It’s a drink as welcoming as it is refined, rooted in Southern tradition but effortlessly at home here in New England.
In explaining the tea recipe’s evolution, Isabel says, “I came to enjoy this tea for the first time through Mah Mah’s daughter—my grandmother, Ethel Teague Watson (Barnes). By the time I was growing up, Ethel—who we called Nanny—was always in charge of the sweet tea. This tea was present at every gathering—not only on hot summer days, but also at our Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, as well as funerals and birthdays. It is truly a tea for all occasions and seasons.”
Isabel has made it her own, too. “The fresh-squeezed citrus and garden mint add a little sophistication to your basic sweet tea recipe. Over the years, I’ve made a few edits. Southern sweet tea can be cloying, so I cut the sugar in half and swapped in honey. It softens the sweetness and brings a richness that makes the recipe feel extra special,” she says.
What I love most about this tea is its balance: Fresh mint and citrus brighten the honeyed depth, while ripe fruit adds texture and charm. It’s complex without being fussy—a drink that fits just as easily into a quiet afternoon as it does on a holiday table. In the fall, Isabel likes to add a couple of sliced persimmons. Their velvety texture and mellow sweetness feel right at home in both Southern and New England kitchens, just like this tea.
Mah Mah’s Sweet Fruited Mint Tea
Ingredients
- 3 C boiling water
- 5 black tea bags
- 12 mint sprigs
- Heaping ½ cup honey or preferred sweetener
- 2 ripe persimmons, diced (optional)
- ¼ C lemon juice
- 1 C pulpy orange juice
- 2-4 C water to taste
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over tea bags and mint, steep 7 minutes, remove teabags and mint; stir in honey, lemon, orange juice, persimmons; cool to room temperature. Serve over lots of ice in a pitcher or over a large ice cube (or cubes) in a glass garnished with fresh mint and citrus wheels.
