The refreshing Long Island iced tea cocktail packs a punch and tastes great, with sweet and citrusy flavors that are ideal for cooling down on a sweltering day.
Long Island iced tea (affectionately known as a LIIT) is a hefty highball cocktail consisting of not two, not three, but four different spirits. Mixing vodka, tequila, gin, rum and triple sec may make you wary, but the Long Island cocktail is, in truth, pretty good. The addition of citrusy sour mix and sparkly cola takes the bite out of the booziness, creating a drink that goes down easy. Almost too easy.
It may or may not actually be from Long Island, and the drink certainly doesn’t contain any tea. What it does offer is a boozy but balanced flavor. It’s classy enough to fit in at a 1970s cocktail party and refreshing enough to enjoy as a porch sipper on a sweltering day. The best part is that it’s as easy to make as it is to drink: You don’t even need a cocktail shaker to pull it off.
How to Make a Long Island Iced Tea
Simply combine all the ingredients in a tall cocktail glass filled with ice. Give it a quick stir and garnish it with a lemon wedge. Adjust the sweetness with extra sour mix or cola.
To make drinks for two, double up the ingredients. If you have one, you can place everything (except the cola) in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Give it a good shake and divide it between two ice-filled glasses. Top with cola, and enjoy!
Long Island Iced Tea Ingredients
Vodka: You don’t need top-shelf vodka, but we don’t recommend the cheapest one in the liquor store, either. You want the vodka (or gluten-free vodka) to have a crisp, clean finish.
Gin: The citrusy, botanical character of London dry gin adds a lovely fragrance to this boozy cocktail. If you’re unsure of which gin to use, check out our guide for the best gin for Negroni.
Light rum: All the other liquors are clear in this drink, so opt for lighter-bodied white or light rum. Rum adds a tropical vibe, but the nuances of more robust dark or aged rums would get a little lost in the mix.
Tequila: Use any blanco tequila that you’d use for making margaritas. For best flavor, choose one that’s 100% de agave or puro de agave.
Triple sec: This is the generic name for orange liqueur. Feel free to use a specific brand name if you have it in your liquor cabinet, but it’s not necessary.
Sour mix: Pick up a bottle of store-bought sours or make homemade sour mix with sugar, water, lemon and lime juice.
Cola: A splash of cola gives the cocktail its tea-colored hue and adds a lightly effervescent, bubbly finish.
Ice cubes: If you want to get fancy, make the cocktail shine with clear ice cubes.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the glass
Place ice in a Collins or highball glass.
Editor’s Tip: Collins and highball glasses are tall, skinny cocktail glasses with a cylindrical shape. They showcase the height of the ice to give the cocktail an elegant appearance.
Step 2: Stir to mix the ingredients
Pour the vodka, gin, rum, sour mix, triple sec, tequila and cola into the glass.
Give the drink a quick stir to combine the ingredients.
Step 3: Garnish the cocktail
If desired, garnish with a slice of lemon.
Editor’s Tip: Fresh citrus adds a bit of added zip for a classic iced tea finish. Here’s how to store lemons so the wedges don’t dry out.
NEXT PAGE
ADVERTISEMENT
