The recipe
for your table
Fill a tall glass generously with ice.
Shake all the spirits, the lemon juice and the syrup briefly with ice.
Strain into the glass and top with a splash of cola for the tea color.
Stir once and garnish with lemon.
The story
Bartender Robert 'Rosebud' Butt claims to have invented it: in 1972, he entered a cocktail competition at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island where triple sec was mandatory, and his entry - all the clear spirits from the shelf plus cola - became a sensation. An older story points to 'Old Man Bishop' from Tennessee, who was already making a similar mix in the community of Long Island, Tennessee, during Prohibition. Either way, the LIIT became a symbol of exuberant nights in the 1980s - and the reason many bars serve it sparingly.
The right glass
The Long Island calls for the largest highball glass you have: with five spirits, juice, syrup and cola, you need at least 47 to 55 cl, plus room for plenty of ice. A tall, sturdy glass with a thick base is the right choice here - this is no cocktail for delicate glassware. The light brown color with lemon in it should look exactly like iced tea. For a large pitcher in the middle of the table, take a look at our pitchers.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Onis Icon Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — together € 57,90.
The right tools
For a Long Island Iced Tea, you use a shaker alongside the glass, a bar spoon for stirring, and a jigger for precise measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools — together € 62,80.
Variations & twists
The Long Beach replaces the cola with cranberry juice, the Tokyo Iced Tea turns green with melon liqueur, and the Electric takes a blue curaçao direction. Want to make it lighter? Halve all the spirits while keeping the proportions intact - the flavor remains, while the impact is halved. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
The cola is an accent, not a mixer: a splash for color is enough. Measure all the ingredients carefully - with this cocktail in particular, the balance is the difference between elegant and explosive.
The ratio of the five spirits
Vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, and triple sec each go in at 1.5 cl, for a total of 7.5 cl of spirits. Add 2.5 cl of fresh lemon juice and 3 cl of sugar syrup, then finish with a splash of cola. The cola is a coloring agent, not a mixer, because two to three centiliters is enough to create the light brown iced-tea color. So there is no tea in it, despite the name. Measure all five spirits with a jigger, because with equal parts, even a little too much immediately throws off the balance of the drink.
How much alcohol is in a Long Island
This cocktail comes out to about 14 percent alcohol by volume in the glass, but that figure says little. More important is the absolute amount: the five spirits together provide over 3 cl of pure alcohol, or nearly two and a half standard drinks in a single glass. That's more than half a bottle of wine and why many bars serve a maximum of two per guest. The cola, lemon, and syrup make the drink smooth and refreshing, so you can barely taste the alcohol. Drink it slowly and keep a glass of water beside it.
Long Island, Tokyo's Long Beach
The basic recipe stays the same; only the final ingredient changes. The Long Beach Iced Tea replaces the cola with cranberry juice, making it pinker and more tart. The Tokyo Iced Tea uses melon liqueur, giving it a bright green color with a melon-sweet finish. The Electric Iced Tea uses blue curaçao for a blue twist. All three still contain the same 7.5 cl of spirits, so they are exactly as strong as the original, no matter how innocent the color may look. The lemon juice and sugar syrup remain the same in all variations.
A lighter version and one for a group
Halve all five spirits to 0.75 cl and keep the lemon juice, syrup, and cola the same: the flavor remains recognizable and the impact drops to just over one standard drink. For a group, mix everything except the cola in advance in a pitcher. For eight glasses, use 12 cl of each spirit, 20 cl lemon juice, and 24 cl sugar syrup. Chill the pitcher for at least two hours, pour over plenty of ice when serving, and top each glass separately with a splash of cola. Garnish each glass with a lemon wedge.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Long Island Iced Tea?
Five spirits, 1.5 cl each: vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, and triple sec, topped up with 2.5 cl fresh lemon juice, 3 cl sugar syrup, and a splash of cola. The cola is purely for the iced-tea color, not as a mixer, so keep it to a splash.
How much alcohol is in a Long Island Iced Tea?
There are 7.5 cl of spirits in the glass, adding up to more than two standard drinks of alcohol. After shaking and with plenty of ice, the drink comes out at around 15 to 20 percent. That is precisely why many bars serve a maximum of one per guest: it goes down like a soft drink.
Is the Long Island Iced Tea the strongest cocktail?
No. It is strong, but the Zombie and many navy-strength tiki cocktails are considerably stronger. What makes the Long Island notorious is the deception: it tastes like iced tea and goes down easily, while it contains five different types of spirits.
Is there tea in a Long Island Iced Tea?
No, there is no tea in it. The name and light brown color come from the splash of cola on top; with a lemon wedge, it looks remarkably like a glass of iced tea. Serve it in a tall glass holding 47 to 55 cl; see our long glasses.
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