Long Island Iced Tea

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A Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail made with, among other ingredients, vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. A popular variation mixes equal parts vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec with 1 1/2 parts sour mix with a splash of cola. Close variants often replace the sour mix with sweet and sour mix or with lemon juice, and the cola with actual iced tea. Some chain restaurants even take the liberty of substituting brandy for the tequila.

Some claim that the drink, like most cocktails, was invented during the Prohibition era, as a way of taking the appearance of a non-alcoholic drink (iced tea). A lemon slice is often added to enhance this resemblance. To some, the drink also shares a similar taste to tea. This has led to its frequent use in fiction as a method to get a teetotaler drunk.

However, evidence suggested that Long Island Iced Tea was first served in the late 1970s by Robert (Rosebud) Butt, a bartender at the Oak Beach Inn, in the Town of Babylon, Long Island, New York.^[1]

The drink has a much higher alcohol concentration (~28%) than most cocktails because of the proportionally small amount of mixer.

This cocktail is often altered in other countries, due to the unpopularity of sour mix. Long Island Iced Tea served outside the States is often made of liquors and cola alone (without sour mix), with lemon or lime juice, or with lime cordial.

[edit] Variations

The increasing popularity of the Long Island has spawned its own family of cocktails. The following drinks remain popular in their own right in numerous locales throughout the United States, while owing their existence to the success of the original Long Island:

Long Beach Iced Tea: Simply a Long Island with cranberry juice instead of Coca-Cola. Named after the city of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, home to cranberry bogs ^[2].

Adios Motherfucker: Also known as an "AMF", as well as "Electric Iced Tea" and "Alaska Iced Tea" due to its azure hue; known as "James Tea Kirk" at Quark’s Bar & Restaurant within the Star Trek: The Experience attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton. It is prepared with Gin, Rum, Vodka, Blue Curacao in place of triple sec , sour mix and Sprite instead of Coca-Cola.

Tokyo Tea: A favorite of the West Coast of the United States^{[citation needed]}, this libation uses the same liquors as the original Long Island, but is crowned with one-half to one full ounce of Midori instead of Coca-Cola. Also referred to as a "Three Mile Island."

California Iced Tea: Calls for Amaretto in place of tequila and triple sec and topped with equal parts cranberry and pineapple juices.

Hawaiian Iced Tea: Shuns tequila and triple sec in favor of a full ounce of Chambord, and is topped with Sprite instead of Coca-Cola.

Miami Iced Tea: Reflecting the tropical setting of its name, this fruitier tea shuns triple sec and tequila in favor of Midori and peach schnapps, and is topped with orange juice instead of Coca-Cola.

Caribbean Iced Tea: True to its name, this recipe utilizes a full ounce of dark Jamaican rum, usually Myer's, in place of tequila and vodka.

Texas Iced Tea: Depending on who you ask, this either substitutes brandy for gin or, alternatively keeps the gin and adds vodka, bourbon whiskey, and sweet and sour mix.

Georgia Iced Tea: This drink calls for peach schnapps in place of Coca-Cola.

The Hamptons Iced Tea: is a cocktail made with Cointreau, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, lemon juice and sour mix. It is similar to the Long Island Iced Tea and is named for The Hamptons, a summer colony in New York.

Margit Island Iced Tea: This Hungarian variation adds a good home-made plum palinka to the mix, with healthy portions of Palinka, gin, vodka, tequila, rum, triple sec , plenty of ice, a little coke and some crushed lemon and lime.

Roadhouse Iced Tea: Instead of vodka, whole grain alcohol, or Everclear, is used.

[edit] See also

• List of cocktails

[edit] External links

• History and discussion of various claims
• LongIslandIceTea recipe at DrinkBoy

[edit] Notes

fr:Long Island Iced Tea it:Long Island Iced Tea he:לונג איילנד אייס טי ja:ロングアイランド・アイスティー no:Long Island (drink) ru:Лонг-Айленд (коктейль) fi:Long Island Ice Tea sv:Long Island Iced Tea zh:長島冰茶