Coming home from vacation this year I stumbled across some of the best advice I’ve ever heard in my entire life.

While passing through Salem it was evident most restaurants would be closed by the time I reached Portland, so I took the Market Street exit and headed for The Olive Garden.

I was eyeing the Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno when the waitress asked me if she could get a drink going. I said “Sure, I’ll have some ice tea please.”

She then proceeded to tell me that she was from Texas and that her grandmother had taught her how to make the best ice tea in all the world.  

Those who have a hard time following the complexities of elaborate recipes may want to skip this part and get straight to the junking. But if you read on, don’t blame me if your brain melts down into a pile of dodo bird droppings.

She said, first you put the ice in the glass and then you add the tea, always do it in that order.

And that my friends, straight from the heart of Texas, is the secret recipe to the best ice tea in all the world.