Long Island Iced Tea
Vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec with lemon and cola. Tastes like iced tea. It is not tea.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Highball
- Strength
- 2.9 UK units
How to make a Long Island Iced Tea
- Measure the spirits. Pour the vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec into a shaker, 15 ml of each. Use a small measure, not a 25 ml one.
- Add the lemon and syrup. Add the lemon juice and sugar syrup and fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake. Shake for 10 seconds, until the tin is cold and misted.
- Strain and top. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Add a splash of cola, about 40 ml, until the drink turns the colour of strong tea.
- Garnish. Add a lemon wedge. Stir once with a straw.
- Glass
- HighballNo highball? Any tall glass or a pint glass.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- Lemon wedgeOr: A slice of lemon.
What you need to make a Long Island Iced Tea
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- Five basic spiritsYou need a vodka, gin, white rum, tequila blanco and triple sec. Mid-priced bottles are fine; the lemon and cola cover subtle differences.Find it on Amazon
- Triple secCointreau is cleaner than cheaper triple secs.Find it on Amazon
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The Long Island Iced Tea story
The origin is disputed. The most often repeated story gives it to Robert Butt, who is said to have entered it in a cocktail contest at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York, in 1972. A competing account traces an earlier version to a man known as Old Man Bishop in Long Island, Tennessee, in the 1920s. Neither has been fully verified.
It looks like tea and tastes like sweet cola, which is exactly why it catches people out. It contains five spirits, so each is measured small. Fresh lemon juice and a modest splash of cola keep it balanced.
Long Island Iced Tea: your questions answered
What is in a Long Island Iced Tea?
A Long Island Iced Tea is made with 15 ml vodka, 15 ml gin, 15 ml white rum, 15 ml tequila blanco, 15 ml triple sec, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 10 ml sugar syrup and cola to top. Garnish: lemon wedge.
Is a Long Island Iced Tea shaken or stirred?
A Long Island Iced Tea is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Long Island Iced Tea?
Made to this recipe, a Long Island Iced Tea contains about 2.9 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Long Island Iced Tea in?
Serve a Long Island Iced Tea in a highball over ice. No highball? Any tall glass or a pint glass.
