The Long Island Iced Tea is honest about what it is. Vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, and triple sec, with lemon and a splash of cola for colour — the cola is the only reason it looks like iced tea, and there is no tea in it at all. Born on Long Island in the 1970s, it is a drink with a reputation, and it earned it.
Five Spirits, Small Measures
The trick that keeps the Long Island from being undrinkable is restraint at the bottle: each of the five spirits goes in at half an ounce. Together they still add up to a serious drink, but no single spirit dominates — they blur into one another.
The sour mix of lemon and a little sugar pulls the spirits together, and the splash of cola is exactly that: a splash, for the tea-brown colour and a trace of sweetness, not a full top.
Build It Tall and Cold
Build it straight in a tall glass over plenty of ice — there is nothing to emulsify and nothing to show off, so shaking is optional and largely theatre.
Serve it long, with a lemon wedge, and treat it with respect. The Long Island's whole reputation rests on tasting far lighter than it is.
Variations
The Long Island with cranberry for the cola — pink, tart, a touch brighter.
- 1/2 oz eachVodka, gin, rum, tequila
- 1/2 ozTriple sec
- TopCranberry juice
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