The Long Beach Iced Tea keeps the Long Island's five-spirit base and trades the cola for cranberry juice. The drink turns pink and tart, and tastes — like its parent — far gentler than its alcohol content has any right to suggest.
The Long Island, with the disguise changed but not removed.
Same Trick, New Coat
The Long Island family's whole conceit is camouflage: a great deal of liquor hidden behind a mixer that makes it taste like something innocent. The Long Beach swaps cola's flavour for cranberry's tart fruit — the disguise changes, the trick does not.
Cranberry's Job
Cranberry juice brings acidity and a dry, fruity edge that keeps the Long Beach from cloying. It also gives the drink its sunset-pink colour — the easiest way, at a glance, to tell a Long Beach from a Long Island.
Build It With Care
Four base spirits, a liqueur, citrus, then the cranberry — measured, not free-poured. The Long Beach is forgiving in flavour but not in strength; the measuring is what keeps it a drink rather than a dare.
The Long Island Iced Tea Family
The infamous five-spirit highball — vodka, gin, rum, and tequila with triple sec, lemon, and a whisper of cola.
- 1/2 oz eachVodka, gin, rum, tequila
- 1/2 ozTriple sec
- SplashCola
The Long Island gone green — Midori melon liqueur for the cola.
- 1/2 oz eachVodka, gin, rum, tequila
- 1 ozMidori
- TopLemon-lime soda
The Long Island with bourbon added — bigger, browner, and unrepentant.
- 1/2 oz eachFive white spirits
- 1/2 ozBourbon
- TopCola