Name: LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: Ice cubes; 15 ml Vodka; 15 ml Tequila; 15 ml Golden rum (you can use white rum); 15 ml Gin; 15 ml Triple Sec; 10 ml Lemon juice; 10 ml Sugar syrup; Splash of cola

The Long Island Iced Tea is a classic recipe, it has all the right ingredients to get the party started.

It’s hands down our favorite recipe, we’ve perfected it over the years. With tequila, vodka, rum, gin, and triple sec, this is a boozy cocktail drink that just works perfectly!

Homemade Long Island Iced Tea in a highball glass, with a straw and lemon garnish, chilled and ready to drink.

Why you’ll love this cocktail

It’s a zesty, refreshing thirst-quenching light cocktail, that’s very easy to drink.

We love watching people try our Long Island Iced Tea recipe when they’ve never tried one before.

The initial hesitation when they’re told what’s in it, to the total look of surprise when they realise it works.

Is it very alcoholic?

The reputation of the Long Island Iced Tea precedes it, and it’s generally thought to contain a lot of alcohol.

Our recipe has only got the same amount of alcohol as most regular cocktails.

In bars, sometimes bartenders are heavy-handed with the spirits that go into this drink and that’s what makes them have such an alcoholic punch.

Make these at home yourself, and you have full control.

Close up of a Long Island Iced Tea drink, freshly made with tequila, gin, rum, triple sec, vodka, topped with cola and a lemon garnish.

Where does it come from?

As with a lot of cocktails, the true inventor of the Long Island Iced Tea is up for debate.

A popular theory is that a man called Robert ‘Rosebud’ Butt who came from Long Island, New York devised the boozy cocktail as part of a competition back in the ’70s.

There’s another claim that the Long Island Iced Tea dates back to prohibition and hails from Tennessee from an Island called Long Island, unsurprisingly, in Kingston.

The recipe was different and included whiskey and maple syrup but was later fine-tuned by his son to include cola and lemon.

Whichever version you believe, a Long Island Iced Tea is firmly placed in the world’s most favourite cocktails.

You’d think that with all the different types of alcohol in it, the Long Island Iced Tea shouldn’t work, but it does, and it’s a delicious powerhouse of a cocktail!

Is there any tea in it?

No, there’s no tea in a Long Island Iced Tea, it’s the way that the cola mixes with the lemon juice that makes it look a little like an iced tea.

Two glasses of Long Island Iced Tea with a cocktail jigger, lemon slice and straws.

Can I scale this recipe up?

Yes, you can.

This Long Island Iced Tea recipe scales up nicely.

Use our recipe card below to multiply the ingredients until you get to your desired quantities.

Do I need sour mix?

In our Long Island Iced Tea, we believe that fresh is best, so we don’t use a sour mix, we use sugar syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice instead.

Do I have to use premium brand alcohol?

It’s safe to say that you get what you give with a Long Island Iced Tea, meaning that the better the ingredients, the better the finished cocktail.

However, having said this, you don’t have to break the bank here and we’ve created a middle shelf version.

Let’s look at the alcohol ingredients.

Tequila – we’ve used a silver tequila, not the most expensive but it works.

Vodka – you probably want to avoid the store label brands, pick a vodka that you enjoy drinking.

Golden Rum – we’ve used golden, but you could use a white rum if you prefer.

Gin – just like the vodka, avoid store own brands, use you preferred gin but don’t go high end.

Triple Sec – Triple Sec is a sweet orange liqueur; you could replace it with the slightly more expensive Cointreau but just know that Cointreau has a higher alcoholic content.

What should I garnish this with?

We used lemon wedges.

They complement the fresh lemon juice in the cocktail and the aroma of a fresh lemon wedge as you take a sip of the cocktail really enhances the flavor.

Homemade Long Island Iced Tea with tequila, gin, rum, vodka, triple sec, cola and lemon garnish with a straw.

Recipe tips and notes

No cocktail shaker?
Build your Long Island Iced Tea in a glass, but don’t add the ice until just before you add the cola, give it a good mix before adding the ice.
What type of cola should I use?
We’ve all got our favorite, so just use whatever you’d normally drink, you’ll only need a splash of cola for your drink.
Making ahead?
Mix all the ingredients except the cola, store the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to drink and then add the cola.

How to make a Long Island Iced Tea – step by step instructions

Our Long Island Iced Tea recipe is simple to make if you follow our easy instructions.

You’ll find all the measurements in our recipe card below.

Add a handful of ice cubes to a cocktail shaker, then add your vodka and tequila.

Process shots to make a Long Island Iced Tea, add ice cubes, vodka and tequila.

Next, add golden rum (you can use white rum), gin and triple sec.

Process shots to make a Long Island Iced Tea, add rum, gin and triple sec.

Now add fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, secure the lid on your shaker and shake vigorously for approximately 20 seconds.

Process shots to make a Long Island Iced Tea add lemon juice, sugar syrup, strain and pour into highball glass.

Strain into a highball glass, top up with cola, garnish with a couple of lemon wedges or a lemon slice and add a straw.

Process shots to make a Long Island Iced a splash of cola and a lemon wedge garnish.

Let’s get the party started – cheers!

We hope that you enjoy making our Long Island Iced Tea recipe and would love to hear how you got on with it.

Please leave a comment or ask any questions you have.

Two Long Island Iced Tea drinks, with tequila, gin, vodka, triple sec orange liqueur, with lemon garnish, straws and served in highball glasses.

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