Long Island iced tea
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
 The Long Island iced tea was named for its resemblance to non-alcoholic Iced tea. | |
| Type | Cocktail |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | On the rocks: poured over ice |
| Standard garnish | lemon slice |
| Standard drinkware | .svg) |
| IBA specified ingredients† |
|
| Preparation | Mix ingredients in glass over ice, stir, garnish and serve. |
| † Long Island Iced Tea recipe at International Bartenders Association | |
A Long Island Iced Tea is a type of mixed drink made with, among other ingredients, vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. A popular version mixes equal parts vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and triple sec with 1½ parts sour mix and a splash of cola. Most variants use equal parts of the main liquors but include a smaller amount of triple sec (or other orange-flavored liqueur). Close variants often replace the sour mix with lemon juice, replace the cola with actual iced tea, or add white crème de menthe; however, most variants do not include any tea, despite the name of the drink. Some restaurants substitute brandy for the tequila.
The drink has a much higher alcohol concentration (about 22 percent) than most highball drinks due to the several liquors and the relatively small amount of mixer. Long islands can be ordered "extra long", which further increases the alcohol to mixer ratio.
Outside the United States, this highball is often altered, due to the unpopularity of sour mix. Long Island Iced Tea served outside the US is often made of liquors and cola alone (without sour mix), with lemon or lime juice, orange juice or with lime cordial.
Origin
There is some dispute as to the origin of the Long Island Iced Tea. However, numerous sources attribute the origin to one or both of two inventors in the 1970s or 1920s.
Robert "Rosebud" Butt claims to have invented the drink as an entry in a contest to create a new mixed drink including Triple Sec, in 1972 while he worked at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, NY.[1][2] Various local New York references echo Butt's claims.[3] Local rumors also ascribe the origin to either Butt or another bartender at the Oak Beach Inn, Chris Bendicksen.[4]
Alternatively, a slightly different drink is claimed to have been invented in the 1920s during Prohibition, by an "Old Man Bishop" in a local community named Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee.[5][6] The drink was then perfected by Ransom Bishop, "Old Man Bishop"'s son. This drink included whiskey and maple syrup, and varied quantities of the 5 liquors, rather than the modern one with cola and 4 equal portions of the 4 liquors.
References
- ^ The official website of the original Long Island Iced Tea, Robert Butt, accessed 6 August 2012
- ^ Field Guide to Cocktails: How to Identify and Prepare Virtually Every Mixed Drink at the Bar, Rob Chirico, Quirk Books, Aug 11, 2005, ISBN 1594740631, pp 159
- ^ The Drivers' Seat Long Island Iced Tea, Douglas Harrington, Hamptons.com, July 1, 2009. Accessed 6 August 2012
- ^ Long Island Ice Tea: A little History and a Great Recipe, accessed 6 August 2012
- ^ Understanding Apples, J.S. Moore, Outskirts Press (October 13, 2006), ISBN 1598007467; pp 48
- ^ LONG ISLAND ICED TEA: FROM NEW YORK, OR TENNESSEE?, Accessed 6 August 2012
External links
Media related to Long Island Iced Tea at Wikimedia Commons
