What ingredients are in a Long Island Iced Tea?

1/2 oz Wodka, 1/2 oz Tequila, 1/2 oz Heller Rum, 1/2 oz Gin, 1 dash Coca-Cola, Twist of Zitronenschale

What glass do you use for a Long Island Iced Tea?

A Long Island Iced Tea is traditionally served in a Highballglas.

How strong is a Long Island Iced Tea?

A Long Island Iced Tea has an estimated ABV of 26,74%.

How many calories are in a Long Island Iced Tea?

A Long Island Iced Tea contains approximately 143 calories per serving.

What spirits are used in a Long Island Iced Tea?

A Long Island Iced Tea uses equal parts vodka, white rum, silver tequila, dry gin, and triple sec (orange liqueur), combined with fresh lemon juice and a float of cola for color and a hint of sweetness. Despite containing five spirits at 40% ABV each, the well-balanced proportions and citrus juice make the drink taste deceptively like sweetened iced tea. It is one of the highest-ABV cocktails served in bars worldwide.

How is a Long Island Iced Tea made and served?

All spirits, triple sec, and lemon juice are combined in a cocktail shaker with ice, then shaken and strained into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. A small splash of cola is floated on top rather than mixed in, giving the drink its characteristic amber color and slight caramel sweetness without overwhelming the citrus base. A lemon wedge is the standard garnish.

How much alcohol does a Long Island Iced Tea contain?

A standard Long Island Iced Tea contains approximately 2.5 to 3 oz of total spirit volume, giving it an ABV of roughly 22–28% after dilution. This makes a single serving equivalent to approximately three standard alcoholic drinks. Its reputation as one of the most intoxicating cocktails stems from this high alcohol load disguised by its refreshing, tea-like flavor.

Equal half-ounce measures of vodka, tequila, light rum, and gin form the spirit base of the Long Island Iced Tea, finished with a dash of cola and a lemon twist. Despite the name, the drink contains no tea whatsoever; the cola supplies both the brown, tea-like color and a faint sweetness that masks a formidable alcohol content approaching 27 percent ABV. The components are combined and stirred gently in a highball glass before garnishing. Recognized by the IBA as a Contemporary Classic, it ranks among the most widely known cocktails in the world, its deceptive appearance and four-spirit construction having made it a fixture of bar menus everywhere.

Long Island Iced Tea

Long Island, LIIT

Glas Highballglas

Schwierigkeitsgrad Hard

Kalorien ~143 kcal

ABV 26,74%

Zutaten

Wodka 1/2 oz
Tequila 1/2 oz
Heller Rum 1/2 oz
Gin 1/2 oz
Coca-Cola 1 dash
Zitronenschale Twist of

Anweisungen

Mix all contents in a highball glass and sitr gently. Add dash of Coca-Cola for the coloring and garnish with lemon or lime twist.

IBA ContemporaryClassic

Der Long Island Iced Tea vereint zu gleichen Teilen Wodka, Tequila, hellen Rum und Gin mit einem Spritzer Cola und Zitronenzeste und verbirgt seinen beachtlichen Alkoholgehalt hinter einem täuschend teeähnlichen Aussehen — ein IBA Contemporary Classic. Trotz seines Namens enthält er keinen echten Tee — die Cola sorgt für die charakteristische braune Farbe und leichte Süße. Er zählt zu den bekanntesten Cocktails der Welt.

History & Origins

The Long Island Iced Tea was created in the 1970s, with competing claims from Robert Butt of Oak Beach Inn in Hampton Bays, New York, and a variation tracing to Kingsport, Tennessee. The IBA recognized it as a Contemporary Classic, cementing its status as a legitimate cocktail. Its popularity exploded in American bar culture throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Subtle citrus and faint vanilla sweetness from the cola, with understated spirit notes. Palate: Deceptively smooth with layers of vodka, rum, gin, and tequila integrated by sour mix and cola sweetness. Finish: Warming and spirituous with a lingering lemon and cola tail.

sweet citrus strong smooth caramel

Pro Tip

Use only a dash of cola for color — too much overwhelms the balanced spirit profile that defines this IBA classic.

Verwendete Techniken

Abseihen Schütteln

Variationen

Radioactive Long Island Iced Tea

Compare Long Island Iced Tea

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Data verified September 2017

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