Long Island Iced Tea: Recipe and Ingredients for This Strong Cocktail
Long Island Iced Tea looks like a glass of iced tea with lemon, but there is actually no tea in it. Its colour comes from cola, while underneath are four spirits and an orange liqueur, each used in a 15 ml measure: vodka, gin, white rum, tequila and triple sec. The flavour is fresh, citrusy and slightly sweet, so you barely notice the alcohol. And that is exactly what makes this drink deceptive.
You can mix the classic recipe according to the International Bartenders Association (IBA) directly in the glass, so you do not need a shaker. Before you start pouring, however, it is worth looking at the strength calculation: one glass contains almost as much alcohol as one and a half half-litre glasses of 4% beer.
Long Island Iced Tea ingredients
Tip: Cointreau is the classic triple sec for a Long Island.
Long Island Iced Tea combines five types of alcohol in equal amounts, complemented by lemon juice, sugar syrup and cola. The recipe is intended for one tall highball glass and is based on the official recipe, which places the cocktail among the contemporary classics. The official recipe does not specify the exact amount of cola, it simply says to top up; we use 50 ml.
- vodka
- gin
- white rum
- tequila (ideally blanco)
- triple sec orange liqueur
- fresh lemon juice
- sugar syrup
- cola
- ice cubes and a lemon slice for garnish
The spirits do not have to be the most expensive bottles on the shelf, because their flavours blend together in the drink. A clean vodka, dry gin, light white rum and blanco tequila are enough. Unlike aged tequilas, blanco tequila has no barrel notes.
Triple sec is an orange liqueur that gives the drink its citrus aroma. A classic choice is Cointreau at 40% ABV, while a cheaper alternative is Bols Triple Sec at 38%. You can find more orange liqueurs among our exotic liqueurs. You can make sugar syrup from sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio, or use ready-made Monin Cane Sugar Syrup.
How to make a Long Island Iced Tea step by step
Long Island Iced Tea is mixed directly in the glass, so all you need is a measuring cup, a long spoon and plenty of ice.
Ingredients
- 15 ml vodka
- 15 ml gin
- 15 ml biely rum
- 15 ml tequila blanco
- 15 ml triple sec
- 25 ml citrónová šťava
- 30 ml cukrový simple sirup
- 50 ml kola
- ľad
- plátok citrónu na ozdobu
Long Island Iced Tea
Long Island Iced Tea je výrazný kokteil z vodky, ginu, bieleho rumu, tequily a triple secu, doplnený citrónovou šťavou, cukrovým sirupom a kolou. Napriek vysokej sile pôsobí sviežo, citrusovo a prekvapivo ľahko sa pije.
Preparation Steps
- Step 1: Naplňte pohár ľadom: Vysoký pohár naplňte kockami ľadu až po okraj. Väčšie množstvo ľadu udrží nízku teplotu a drink sa bude riediť len postupne.
- Step 2: Nalejte alkohol: Postupne pridajte 15 ml vodky, 15 ml ginu, 15 ml bieleho rumu, 15 ml tequily a 15 ml triple secu. Odmerku používajte dôsledne, pretože pri piatich druhoch alkoholu sa odchýlky pri nalievaní od oka rýchlo spočítajú.
- Step 3: Pridajte citrón a sirup: Nalejte 25 ml čerstvo vytlačenej citrónovej šťavy a 30 ml cukrového sirupu.
- Step 4: Dolejte kolou: Do pohára dolejte 50 ml vychladenej koly. Drink získa jantárovohnedú farbu a začne pripomínať ľadový čaj.
- Step 5: Premiešajte a ozdobte: Lyžičkou jemne premiešajte od dna, aby sa kola spojila so zvyškom drinku, a ozdobte plátkom citróna.
Ingredient ratio and drink strength
The ratio is simple: five types of alcohol in equal 15 ml measures, plus 25 ml of lemon juice, 30 ml of syrup and 50 ml of cola. This keeps the acidity of the lemon and sweetness of the syrup in balance, while the cola softens the sharpness of the alcohol. That is exactly why Long Island Iced Tea goes down so easily, and why it is worth knowing how much alcohol is actually in the glass.
Vodka, gin, rum and tequila contain roughly 37.5–40% alcohol, while the triple sec in our recipe (Cointreau, Bols) contains 38–40%. These 75 ml therefore contain around 29 ml of pure alcohol (calculated using an average strength of 39%). The full drink contains 180 ml, so immediately after mixing it is roughly 16% ABV.
The ice then gradually melts: once another 40 ml of water melts from the ice, the strength drops to around 13%. For comparison, half a litre of 4% beer contains 20 ml of pure alcohol. One Long Island contains almost as much alcohol as one and a half such beers.
Drink it slowly and treat it as a strong cocktail, not as a thirst quencher. Have a glass of water alongside it. And if you are driving, choose the alcohol-free version below.
Tips for flavour and preparation
There is still room to experiment with the flavour. The classic recipe uses lemon, but lime is sharper and slightly more aromatic, so you can try both. If 30 ml of syrup feels too sweet, reduce it to 20 ml and the acidity of the lemon will stand out more.
If you have a shaker, you can briefly shake the alcohol, lemon juice and syrup with ice, strain into a glass with fresh ice and only then top up with cola. The drink will be colder and better mixed.
Long Island Iced Tea variations
The base of five types of alcohol, lemon and syrup remains the same in most variations. What mainly changes is what you top the drink up with, and therefore its colour.
Long Beach Iced Tea: cranberry juice is used instead of cola. The drink turns pink, becomes fruitier and slightly more acidic.
Tokyo Iced Tea: green melon liqueur Midori is added to the base and lemon-lime soda is used instead of cola. The result is sweeter, bright green and, thanks to the liqueur, also contains more alcohol.
Alcohol-free Long Island: replace the gin, rum and tequila with alcohol-free spirits. Our range includes alcohol-free gin, rum and an agave spirit alternative to tequila. Omit the vodka and use Monin Triple Sec Curaçao alcohol-free syrup instead of triple sec. As the syrup is also sweet, use slightly less sugar syrup and keep the lemon and cola unchanged. We explain how such spirits are made and how they differ from ordinary soft drinks in our article Alcohol-free spirits: the trend changing the way we think about drinking alcohol.
History of Long Island Iced Tea and the origin of its name
The creation of the drink is most often attributed to bartender Robert “Rosebud” Butt. According to his own account, he mixed it in 1972 at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island near New York for a competition in which every new cocktail had to contain triple sec. A second, unverified version is set during Prohibition in the settlement of Long Island near Kingsport, Tennessee. According to the story, however, that drink also contained whisky and maple syrup and did not contain triple sec. The phrase “iced tea” describes only its appearance, and the drink is often shortened to Long Island Tea or written as Long Island Ice Tea. We explain why mixed drinks are called cocktails at all in our article Why are mixed drinks called cocktails?.
The most common preparation mistakes
Long Island Iced Tea can handle less expensive spirits, but not inaccurate pouring. These are the mistakes most often repeated at home:
- Pouring by eye. Five measures poured without a jigger can easily add up to 100 ml or more, turning the drink into alcohol with a splash of cola.
- Too much cola. If you fill the whole glass with cola, the lemon and syrup disappear and the drink tastes like a flavoured soft drink. 50 ml is enough. If you want a weaker drink, add the cola gradually.
- Bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice tastes flat and slightly bitter. Fresh lemon gives the drink the freshness that makes it easy to drink.
- Cola in the shaker. A carbonated drink foams when shaken and can force the shaker open. Always add the cola directly to the glass.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How much alcohol is in a Long Island Iced Tea?
According to our recipe with 50 ml of cola, the drink is approximately 16% ABV immediately after mixing and around 13% after some of the ice has melted. The glass contains around 29 ml of pure alcohol, almost as much as one and a half half-litre beers at 4% ABV.
Is there really tea in a Long Island Iced Tea?
No. It gets its name from its appearance because cola with lemon and ice resembles iced tea. The glass contains four spirits, orange liqueur, lemon juice, sugar syrup and cola.
What can I use instead of triple sec?
Triple sec is a general term for orange liqueur, so you can replace it with another orange liqueur. Cointreau belongs to this category and is also included in the official recipe. Without orange liqueur, the drink loses its citrus depth and is no longer a classic Long Island.
Do all five types of alcohol have to be included?
For a classic Long Island, yes. The combination of vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec creates its characteristic flavour. If you leave one out, the drink will still be drinkable but flatter in flavour. Do not replace the missing spirit with a larger amount of another one, as its flavour would start to dominate.
Can Long Island Iced Tea be prepared in advance for several people?
Yes, but only the base. Mix the alcohol, lemon juice and syrup in a bottle and keep it in the refrigerator, ideally only for a few hours because fresh lemon gradually loses its freshness. Add ice and cola separately to each glass, otherwise the drink will go flat and become watery.
Conclusion
Long Island Iced Tea is a simple drink with unexpected strength: 15 ml each of vodka, gin, white rum, tequila and triple sec, 25 ml of lemon juice, 30 ml of sugar syrup and 50 ml of cola in a glass filled with ice. Precise measuring, fresh lemon and a moderate amount of cola are what matter.
If you want to try something simpler after working with eight ingredients, you can find bottles for specific drinks combined into one package among our cocktail sets. Enjoy Long Island Iced Tea slowly and responsibly: it is easy to drink, but it is a strong cocktail.
