How to Make a Long Island Iced Tea

Guide Note

Long Island Iced Tea is iced, but does not contain any tea. It's a mixture of alcoholic beverages, a sweetener and lemon juice that give the illusion of iced tea. This popular drink is simple to prepare, as this guide to How to Make Long Island Iced Tea will demonstrate.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Making a Long Island Iced Tea
• Variations
• References

Long Island Iced Tea Tips

1. Serve in an iced tea glass.
2. Make sure to use plenty of ice.
3. You can increase the amount of cola to dilute the alcohol content.
4. For a sweeter touch, coat the rim of the glass with sugar.

• by Susan MacDowell

Introduction

• The origins of the recipe for Long Island Iced Tea are unclear.¹ Some claim it was developed by bootleggers in a community located near Kingsport, Tennessee named Long Island. Others assert it was developed by the bartenders at the Oak Beach Inn on New York's Long Island in the 1970s. Still others maintain that it was the beverage of choice of suburban housewives in the 1950s. It has since been popularized in several movies and TV shows, including Sex in the City and The Simpsons.

Making a Long Island Iced Tea

(Creative Commons photo by Alisdair McDiarmid)

• Long Island Iced Tea was popularized by bartenders at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York. It was soon a favorite among New York City area college students.²

Instructions

1. Add vodka, tequila, rum, triple sec, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to cocktail shaker.
2. Combine well.
3. Fill highball glass with ice.
4. Pour mixture from shaker over ice.
5. Top off with a dash of cola for color.
6. Garnish with a lemon slice and a straw to complete the iced tea effect.³
7. Consume your Long Island Iced Tea with care! It may taste and look somewhat like iced tea, but it packs a powerful punch.⁴ Each drink contains 3-4 ounces of alcohol, making it the equivalent of drinking several drinks at once.

Variations

(Creative Commons photo by Luiz Eduardo)

1. Some recipes use sour mix instead of lemon juice and simple syrup.⁵
2. Add Chambord for Raspberry Long Island Iced Tea.^{6 6}
3. If you're making the drink for a crowd, you can scale the ingredients at CocktailDB.⁷
4. AllRecipes suggests substituting orange juice for the lemon juice.⁸
5. This Blue Island Iced Tea uses Blue Curacao, and leaves the liquids layered, rather than combined.⁹
6. This recipe from Long Island, Tennessee uses maple syrup instead of simple syrup.¹
7. Applebee's and TGI Friday's reportedly omit the Tequila from their versions.¹⁰
8. A restaurant in Dallas, Texas, uses actual iced tea in place of the cola when making their version.¹¹
9. Grenadine and orange juice add a different touch.¹²
10. Using blood orange flavored vodka produces X-Rated Long Island Iced Tea.¹³
11. Replacing the cola with cranberry juice creates Long Beach Tea.¹⁴

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References for How To Make a Long Island Iced Tea

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Loving-Long-Island.com: Long Island Ice Tea: History and Recipe
2. ↑ New York Times: Shaken and Stirred: A Bolt of Lightning in an Everyday Glass (May 12, 2002)
3. ↑ International Bartender Association: Official Cocktails: Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
4. ↑ CHOW: Long Island Iced Tea
5. ↑ The Webtender: Long Island Iced Tea
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Drinks Mixer: Raspberry Long Island Ice Tea
7. ↑ CocktailDB: Long Island Iced Tea
8. ↑ AllRecipes: Long Island Iced Tea
9. ↑ AllRecipes: Blue Island Ice Tea
10. ↑ RecipeZaar: Long Island Iced Tea (Applebee's/TGI Friday's)
11. ↑ RecipeZaar: Flavored Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
12. ↑ RecipeZaar: Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
13. ↑ RecipeZaar: X-Rated Iced Tea (Long Island) Recipe
14. ↑ Fine Living: Long Island Iced Tea

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