Long Island Iced Tea
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Long Island Iced Tea was my drink of choice for a whole lot of years. It packs a wallop but goes down so smooth and tastes great!
This classic Long Island Iced Tea recipe is one that every home bar tender should have up their sleeve! Serve it with a delicious dinner of grilled ribeye steak and bacon wrapped asparagus.
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Long Island Iced Tea
Long Island Iced Tea
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Why you’ll love this classic cocktail recipe!
📌 Bright, smooth, and delicious flavor.
📌 Simple to make.
📌 A classic well loved cocktail recipe.
Long Island Iced Tea Ingredients
- Alcohol – Vodka, white rum, white tequila, gin, triple sec.
- Soda – Cola (traditionally Coke, but Pepsi is great too!).
- Garnish – I love it with a wedge of lemon or lime.
How do you make a long island iced tea? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, add ice, vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec to your shaker. Fill your drinking glass with ice.
⭐ Next, shake the contents of your shaker and strain your drink over fresh ice.
⭐ Then, add your cola directly to the glass, as much as desired, to achieve a tea like color.
⭐ Finally, garnish with lemon or lime.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
What is a Long Island Iced Tea?
The Long Island iced tea is a cocktail that was developed by bartender Bob Butt (nicknamed ‘Rosebud’) in a bar on Long Island New York.
The story goes that he created it for a friendly drink competition. (We hope he won!).
Long Island Iced Tea Variations
- Long beach tea – Swap the cola for sweetened cranberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail).
- Hawaiian iced tea – Trade the cola for pineapple juice.
- Texas tea – Add a splash of bourbon!
- Blue long island – Add Blue curacao and swap the cola for ginger ale.
- Tokyo tea – Swap the coke for sprite and add midori and sweet and sour.
- Georgia peach tea – Skip the coke and use cranberry. Also add peach schnapps and a splash of sweet and sour.
Preparation
How do you make a pitcher of Long Island Iced Tea?
We typically consider a pitcher to be 8 servings. To make a pitcher, multiply each ingredient by 8 (exact measurements provided below).
If you’re making a pitcher ahead of time, combine all the liquors and store it in the refrigerator. Immediately before serving, stir and add the soda. You can also add ice to the pitcher at this point, if desired.
Can you make a Long Island ahead of time?
You can mix the liquors together ahead of time, but don’t add the soda or ice until immediately before serving (or the soda will go flat and the ice will melt and water down the drink).
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
What does a Long Island Iced Tea taste like?
Despite not containing a lick of tea, this cocktail tastes and looks remarkably like a light sweet tea! And surprisingly, even though it contains loads of alcohol, it does not have a strong liquor flavor.
It’s delicious, but be careful to drink in moderation.
Why is it called a Long Island Iced Tea?
The drink is named after the part of New York where it was created.
What to enjoy with a Long Island Iced Tea (serving suggestions)
This will always be a summer bbq favorite for me! We love it alongside outdoor favorites like smoked pork tenderloin, cilantro lime steak, smoked chicken thighs, and grilled pork chops.
More delicious cocktail recipes
- Tequila sunrise recipe
- Dirty shirley drink
- Rum punch recipe
- Fuzzy navel recipe
- Old fashioned
- Grapefruit margarita
- Frozen mango margarita cocktail
- Sex on the beach recipe
- See all our drink recipes!
Tools we love
- Glass pitcher – Everyone needs a gorgeous glass pitcher! Perfect for water on the weekdays and cocktails on the weekends!
- Stemless wine glasses – I am a huge fan of stemless wine glasses for cocktails as they’re much less likely to tip over. Read = I am clumsy.
- Upright blender – Frozen drinks deserve a good blender. Make sure you use one that can blend ice easily.
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How to Make a Long Island Iced Tea
Long Island Iced Tea
Ingredients
BY THE GLASS
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce white rum
- 1 ounce white tequila
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce triple sec
- 1 ounce cola
- garnish lime or lemon wedge or slice
BY THE PITCHER
- 8 ounces vodka (1 cup)
- 8 ounces white rum (1 cup)
- 8 ounces white tequila (1 cup)
- 8 ounces gin (1 cup)
- 8 ounces triple sec (1 cup)
- 8 ounces cola (1 cup)
- 8 slices garnish lime or lemon
Instructions
BY THE GLASS
- Add ice, vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec to your shaker. Also add ice to your glass.
- Cover and vigorously shake for about 15 seconds. Strain your drink over your fresh ice.
- Add cola to the glass until you get your desired look and taste. Garnish with a wedge of lemon or lime.
BY THE PITCHER
- Add vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec to your pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Immediately before serving, stir then add ice, cola, and lime or lemon slices to the pitcher.
Notes
VARIATIONS
- Long beach tea - Swap the cola for sweetened cranberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail).
- Hawaiian iced tea - Trade the cola for pineapple juice.
- Texas tea - Add a splash of bourbon!
- Blue long island - Add Blue curacao and swap the cola for ginger ale.
- Tokyo tea - Swap the coke for sprite and add midori and sweet and sour.
- Georgia peach tea - Skip the coke and use cranberry. Also add peach schnapps and a splash of sweet and sour.
Nutrition
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Long Island Iced Tea
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The Long Island Ice Tea I used to get in Tennessee was made with 9 different alcohols. I could never get to tell me what they were.
This was so so delicious!! Thank you so much.
Long Island Iced tea is one of my go-to cocktails! This recipe is perfect for kicking back and relaxing after a long day. Love it!
So fresh and delicious! This is always a crowd pleaser.