Long Island Iced Tea
A citrus, sweet and bubbly cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 13% ABV ∙
The Long Island Iced Tea is a highball of vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, and orange curaçao, lengthened with lemon juice, sugar syrup, and cola.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Add into the highball glass filled with ice: Vodka 15 mlTequila blanco 15 mlWhite rum 15 mlLondon dry gin 15 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 15 mlLemon juice 25 mlSugar syrup 30 ml
- Top with Cola 50 ml
- Stir gently
- Garnish with a lime wheel (opt.)
Tips
- With this much spirit in the glass, don't skimp on the 25 ml of lemon or the 30 ml of syrup; short either and it tastes harsh and hot.
History
The Long Island Iced Tea is most often credited to bartender Robert "Rosebud" Butt, who says he created it in 1972 at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York, as his entry in a bar contest that required using triple sec. His winning mix combined equal parts vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, and triple sec with sour mix and a splash of cola for color. The bar's owner, Robert Matherson, later corroborated Butt's account in his 1998 book Scandal at the Oak Beach Inn.
A rival story credits an earlier version to a Prohibition-era bootlegger known as "Old Man" Bishop in a community called Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee, said to date to the 1920s. His son Ransom reportedly modified it in the 1940s with the addition of cola and citrus. This account is undocumented and disputed by cocktail historians. Some sources claim a "Long Island Iced Tea" recipe appeared in Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book in 1961, though no such recipe has actually been found in the book despite the claim's wide repetition.
The drink takes its name not from actual tea but from its amber color, which resembles iced tea despite containing none.
FAQ
What is in a Long Island Iced Tea?
15 ml each of vodka, tequila blanco, white rum, gin, and orange curaçao, with 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 30 ml sugar syrup, and 50 ml cola. Despite the name and the iced-tea color, it contains no tea.
How do you make a Long Island Iced Tea?
Add the vodka, tequila, rum, gin, orange curaçao, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and cola to a highball glass full of ice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel if you like.
Is a Long Island Iced Tea the strongest cocktail?
No. This recipe comes to about 13% ABV in the glass, weaker than short drinks like a Dry Martini or Negroni, which run 25–30% because they carry no mixers. Its reputation comes from four spirits and an orange liqueur in one glass, with sugar, citrus, and cola hiding the alcohol so it goes down fast.
