Long Island Iced Tea Cocktail Recipe
Five spirits, lemon and a splash of cola that tastes deceptively like iced tea.
- Category: Contemporary Classics
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 22%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~4 min
Ingredients
- Vodka15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Gin15 ml (0.5 oz)
- White rum15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Tequila15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Triple sec15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Cola30 ml (1 oz)
How to Make It
- Add all spirits and lemon to a highball glass with ice.
- Stir briefly.
- Top with a splash of cola for colour.
- Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Garnish
Lemon wedge
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced and it hits hard.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- White rum
- The Cuban style is light and dry, the Puerto Rican a little rounder. It is the base of the mojito and the daiquiri; swap in gold rum and the drink turns sweeter.
- Triple sec
- The general name for orange-peel liqueurs, running anywhere from 15% to 40% depending on the brand. That range changes the drink directly, so it is worth reading the label.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Cola
- Full-sugar and diet cola do not give the same drink: diet leaves the body thin and the spirit exposed. Plenty of ice and cola added last keeps the fizz.
The Story
Popularised in 1970s Long Island, New York; notorious for its strength.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Long Island Iced Tea mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Long Island Iced Tea?
- Roughly 22% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Long Island Iced Tea be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Long Island Iced Tea hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.