How to make Long Island Iced Tea
The Long Island Iced Tea is a potent highball combining vodka, gin, rum, tequila, orange liqueur, lemon and cola. Despite its name, it contains no tea; its amber colour and citrus-led flavour simply resemble iced tea.
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Ingredients
vodka
15 ml
London dry gin
15 ml
white rum
15 ml
tequila
15 ml
triple sec
15 ml
lemon juice
25 ml
simple syrup
15 ml
cola
45 ml
ice
optional
as needed
lemon
optional
garnish
1
About recipe
Difficulty
Medium
Prep time
5 min
Glass type
Highball
Method
Shaken
Instructions
-
1
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
-
2
Add the vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, triple sec, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup.
-
3
Shake vigorously for about 10–15 seconds until well chilled.
-
4
Fill a highball or Collins glass with fresh ice cubes.
-
5
Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass.
-
6
Top up with cola.
-
7
Stir gently once or twice to combine the ingredients.
-
8
Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel.
What does a Long Island Iced Tea taste like?
A well-made Long Island Iced Tea tastes citrusy, lightly sweet and surprisingly smooth for such a strong cocktail. Vodka adds a clean base, gin contributes juniper and herbs, white rum brings gentle cane sweetness, and tequila provides peppery agave notes. Orange liqueur helps connect the different spirits with a rounded citrus flavour.
Fresh lemon juice gives the drink its necessary acidity, while cola adds caramel, spice, sweetness and the familiar tea-like colour. The cocktail should taste bright and balanced rather than harsh or dominated by cola. Its alcohol strength can be easy to underestimate because citrus, sweetness, dilution and carbonation soften the impact.
The history of the Long Island Iced Tea
The exact origin of the Long Island Iced Tea is disputed. The best-known account credits bartender Robert “Rosebud” Butt with creating the modern version in Long Island, New York, during the 1970s as part of a cocktail competition involving triple sec.
Another story links an earlier drink with a similar name to Long Island, Tennessee, during the Prohibition era, though that version reportedly used a different mixture of spirits and sweet ingredients. Because the recipes differ, the New York drink is generally treated as the direct ancestor of the cocktail commonly served today.
How a Long Island Iced Tea is prepared and served
The drink is usually built in a tall highball or Collins glass filled with ice. The spirits, orange liqueur, lemon and sweetener are combined before a small amount of cola is added for colour and carbonation. Some bartenders briefly shake the base ingredients first, then strain them over fresh ice and top with cola.
A lemon wedge or wheel is the typical garnish. Plenty of solid ice and proper dilution help smooth the mixture without making it watery. Common mistakes include adding too much cola, using bottled sour mix, skipping fresh citrus or pouring the spirits carelessly, which can leave the drink hot, unbalanced and unnecessarily strong.
When to serve it and popular variations
The Long Island Iced Tea suits casual parties, busy bars and relaxed summer gatherings, although its strength makes slow drinking sensible. Its sweet-and-sour profile pairs well with burgers, fried food, barbecue, pizza and salty snacks. It is less suitable as a delicate aperitif because the mixture is bold and alcohol-forward.
A Long Beach Iced Tea replaces cola with cranberry juice, creating a fruitier red drink. The Tokyo Iced Tea often uses melon liqueur and lemon-lime soda, while an Electric Iced Tea may include blue curaçao. Whatever the variation, the best versions keep the citrus fresh, the sweetness controlled and the multiple spirits in balance.
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