College students are familiar with Long Island Iced Tea. It’s a refreshing and delicious drink, but the combination of spirits makes it strong, so you don’t need a lot of glasses to feel the effects.
But you don’t have to be in college to enjoy this cocktail, either. Check out how to mix it below!
Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
Long Island Iced Teas are spirit-heavy, but once you buy each bottle, they’ll last for a while since you only need about half an ounce of each.
Here’s the real Long Island Iced Tea recipe:
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce of vodka
- 1/2 ounce of white rum
- 1/2 ounce of tequila
- 1/2 ounce of gin
- 1/2 ounce of orange-flavored liqueur like triple sec
- 1 ounce of cola
- 1 ounce of sweet and sour mix
- Fresh lemon slices to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and pour all the ingredients except the cola.
- Cover and shake vigorously for a few seconds.
- Strain into a Collins glass, and add the cola on top.
- Garnish with lemon slices, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Long Island Iced Tea is a boozy drink that also packs some nutritional calories, depending on how strong you make it or what you use as garnish.
Here’s a quick rundown of the simple Long Island Ice Tea:
- 220 calories
- 18.1g carbs
- 0.1g protein
- Around 20% ABV, depending on how you mix it
Long Island Iced Tea Serving Tips
Before heading to your liquor cabinet to gather the ingredients, these tips can help you make a great Long Island Iced Tea:
- Party drink: Long Island Iced Tea is the perfect drink for a summer party, so feel free to mix it in a big pitcher and wait for your party guests. Unlike other cocktails, it’s not a bad idea to let the five liquors sit with the ice for a bit and get diluted. The sweet and sour mix and cola will keep their strength, but the cocktail itself will be more mellow.
- Single-serving: You can make a single glass of this cocktail; just be sure to use the same measuring unit to get the balance just right. For the spirits, you can use a spoon and add them to your glass directly. The Long Island Iced Tea can also be stirred.
- Food pairing: This drink is a great addition to a barbecue party, but it also works well with spicier foods like Thai or Mexican.
Long Island Iced Tea Recipe Variations
Here are other great cocktail recipes inspired by Long Island Iced Tea:
- Original Iced Tea: Before it was tweaked to get the version you have today, the original recipe used whiskey instead of triple sec and a splash of maple syrup.
- Long Beach Iced Tea: Replace the cola with cranberry juice, and keep everything else.
- Hawaiian Iced Tea: Top with pineapple juice instead of cola. You can also garnish with a pineapple slice;
- Texas Tea: Add bourbon to your Long Island Iced Tea to get its cousin from Texas.
Apart from these variations, you can also change some ingredients to get new flavors:
- Use simple syrup instead of sour mix for a sweeter drink.
- Replace lemon with lime juice.
- Add lemon-lime soda instead of cola.
Summing Up
There’s nothing quite like a Long Island Iced Tea on a hot summer’s day, but there’s no need to go out with your college buddies to sip it anymore. Use this recipe to mix it right at home!
