Long Island Iced Tea

The Long Island Iced Tea is one of the strongest drinks around, but it goes down smooth! It’s one of the most popular cocktails for those who want a stiff drink that actually tastes delicious!

Long Island Iced Tea

If you’re looking for a strong drink that actually tastes good, the Long Island Iced Tea is just the thing. Made with 5 different types of alcohol, this is probably one of the strongest cocktails out there. But amazingly, it doesn’t taste as strong as it is. So be warned, this is a drink that you can only have one or two of…and only when you’re NOT the driver!

Why Is It Called A Long Island Iced Tea?

Believe it or not, despite the name, there’s no iced tea in this drink at all! The “iced tea” in the name likely comes from the cocktail’s visual similarity to the non-alcoholic beverage.

Of course, there are a couple stories about the origin of the drink recipe itself. A Long Island bartender named Robert Butt claims that he invented it as part of a cocktail competition in the early 1970s. Butt named his entry the “Long Island Iced Tea” after his home.

There’s another story that purports a much early origin for the Long Island Iced Tea, back in the days of Prohibition. Supposedly, a local in Kingsport, Tennessee (which was also known by the name “Long Island”) created this deceptively innocent looking drink as a way to fool everyone into thinking he was simply drinking tea. (Source)

Either way, this cocktail became an instant classic and is one of the most well-known bar drinks today.

Long Island Iced Tea Ingredients

• 1 Ounce Vodka
• 1 Ounce White Rum
• 1 Ounce Gin
• 1 Ounce Triple Sec
• 3 Ounces Sweet n Sour Mix (or a squeeze of lemon juice)
• 1 Ounce Cola (Such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola)

Helpful Bartending Tools

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• Cocktail Jigger (for measuring liquor amounts)
• Boston Cocktail Shaker Set (contains shakers, jigger, strainer)
• Bar Spoon (traditional tool for stirring cocktails)

Instructions

1. Fill a highball or tall cocktail glass with ice.
2. Pour in the liquors.
3. Add the sweet and sour (or a squeeze of lemon juice) and top with cola.

Garnish with a lemon slice.

Prep Tips

• For a sweeter drink, you can substitute sweet and sour for the fresh lemon juice. This also makes it easier to prepare this drink if you have to make multiples, like bartending in a busy nightclub. Many traditional recipes list lemon only, but I prefer my Long Islands made with sour mix.
• Traditionally, just a splash of coke is added. However, you can use more if you’d like to make this a less strong drink. Simply cut back on the amount of liquor and add more cola instead.
• You can make flavored Long Island Iced Teas by swapping out the triple sec for other liqueurs. Try peach schnapps or raspberry liqueur — these are two of my favorites!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There Tequila in a Long Island Iced Tea?

There’s a little bit of debate on this one, and many Long Island Tea recipes online will list tequila as an ingredient. However, when I was learning to bartend, we did NOT include tequila — and we made a LOT of Long Island Iced Teas as they were popular with the college crowd.

If you’d like to try this with tequila, I recommend using silver tequila (tequila blanco) for a smoother flavor. But you WILL taste the tequila either way, as it tends to overpower the drink in my opinion. I am a tequila fan, but I enjoy it on its own.

Long Island Iced Tea Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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