Low-calorie Long Island Iced Tea in a sling glass with a lemon wedge garnish

Long Island Iced Tea (low-calorie)

Name: Long Island Iced Tea (low-calorie)
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: White rum — 10 ml (1/3 oz); London dry gin — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Vodka — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Tequila blanco — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Triple sec — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Sugar-free sweetener syrup — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Lime juice (freshly squeezed) — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Cola (e.g., Coca-Cola or Pepsi) — 60 ml (2 oz)

Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.1% ABV ∙

A lighter Long Island Iced Tea: five spirits, citrus and a sugar-free sweetener shaken and topped with a splash of cola in a tall glass. Citrus-forward and only lightly sweet, the five spirits stay hidden under a crisp lemon-lime bite and a faint cola snap on the finish.

Ingredients

Servings

Garnish

Lemon wedge

Instructions for 1 serving

Pre-chill a glass
Shake the first 8 ingredients with ice: White rum 10 mlLondon dry gin 10 mlVodka 10 mlTequila blanco 10 mlTriple sec 10 mlSugar-free sweetener syrup 15 mlLemon juice 15 mlLime juice 15 ml
Strain into the ice-filled glass
Top with Cola and briefly stir
Garnish with a lemon wedge

Tips

Shake the spirits and citrus hard with plenty of ice before straining — this chills and dilutes without needing extra syrup.
Use a sugar-free sweetener syrup rather than simple syrup to keep the calorie count down without losing the balance.
Top with cola and stir only briefly so it keeps its fizz instead of going flat.

History

This lighter version of the Long Island Iced Tea keeps the drink's five-spirit blend but swaps in sugar-free sweetener to cut calories while leaving the cocktail's character intact.

The parent Long Island Iced Tea is generally traced to Robert "Rosebud" Butt, who said he created it in 1972 while working at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York, for a bar contest to invent a new drink using triple sec, though its origin is disputed among several earlier claimants.

FAQ

How many calories are in this Long Island Iced Tea?

This low-calorie version has about 158 kcal per serving. It reaches that count by using a sugar-free sweetener syrup in place of regular syrup and keeping each of its five spirits to a small pour, topped with cola.

Is a Long Island Iced Tea high in calories?

A classic Long Island Iced Tea is one of the higher-calorie cocktails, since it combines five full spirit pours with regular syrup and cola. This version is built specifically to cut that count, using a sugar-free sweetener in place of syrup, and comes in at about 158 kcal.

What are the 4 versions of Long Island Iced Tea?

There is no single fixed set of four official versions; bartenders commonly riff on the original with variants such as a Long Beach made with cranberry juice instead of cola, a Tokyo Tea made with melon liqueur, an Electric Iced Tea made with blue curacao, and lighter or low-calorie versions like this one that use a sugar-free sweetener instead of regular syrup.

What is the most calorie-friendly cocktail?

There is no single lowest-calorie cocktail, since it depends on the pour size, mixers, and sweetener used, but spirit-forward drinks served with soda water or a sugar-free mixer tend to run lowest. This Long Island Iced Tea is built along that logic, using a sugar-free sweetener syrup to bring it to about 158 kcal, well below a standard version.

Is Long Island Iced Tea good for weight loss?

A standard Long Island Iced Tea is calorie-dense and not a weight-loss-friendly choice, but this version is built to reduce that impact. It replaces regular syrup with a sugar-free sweetener and comes in at about 158 kcal per serving, making it a lighter option among mixed five-spirit cocktails.