Beginner’s Guide to the Long Island Iced Tea

If you are a lover of cocktails, you have likely tried one of the favorites, the Long Island Iced Tea. This unique drink is a party favorite, and has an interesting backstory and recipe. If you have never had a Long Island Iced Tea, now is the time to order one. However, before you order one at one of the best cocktails bar in Alpharetta, GA, learn about the history, popularity, recipe, and variations of Long Islands.

History

The origin of the Long Island Iced Tea can be traced back almost a hundred years to the prohibition where a similar drink was invented that included whiskey, maple syrup, and small amounts of a variety of other liquors. However, the modern recipe came to be in the 1970s when a man named Robert “Rosebud” Butt invented a drink with eight different ingredients for a contest challenging entries to make a drink that included Triple Sec. Instead of maple syrup, Butt’s invention had cola and his did not include Whiskey. He named his creation the Long Island Iced tea after the hotel he worked.

Popularity

The high alcohol content of Long Island’s should make this a difficult drink to swallow, but that is not the case. Long Island Iced Teas are strong, sugary, and loved by many. You are mostly likely to see long islands on a hot day, during spring break, and on a beach. Since the 70s, the popularity of this drink has remained steady. Be careful with long islands, they are so tasty that it is easy to drink one too many.

Recipe

Despite the name, the Long Island Iced Tea doesn’t include tea at all. Instead, the recipe includes a combination of five different types of liquor. These include, vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec. To make a Long Island Iced Tea, combine the liquors in equal parts in a cocktail mixer, shake well, and then pour over ice. Then add cola on top, and finish with lime.

Variations

This is an easy drink to vary, since there are so many ingredients to swap out. One popular variation is the Purple Rain, which uses Chambord instead of Triple Sec and lemon lime soda instead of cola. The Long Beach Tea has cranberry juice instead of cola, the Texas Tea adds bourbon, the Miami Iced Tea has peach schnapps instead of tequila, and a Long Island Iced Tea with a twist has lemon juice added.

Find one of the best cocktails bar in Alpharetta, GA, today and order yourself a tasty Long Island Iced Tea.