Made with four different clear spirits & one liqueur – white rum, tequila, gin, vodka & triple sec – Long Island iced tea is probably the booziest cocktail of all. When made properly with the correct measurements of booze to sweet & sour mix & cola ratios, a Long Island iced tea barely tastes alcoholic. Remember this as you’re drinking them for they’ve been know to kick many a soul’s ass.
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To make perfect Long Islands at home: firstly, get yourself some highball glasses if you don’t have some already – a tall tumbler that holds about eight to 12 ounces of liquid. Then, make a good sweet & sour mix. We used a combination of lemons, lime, water & sugar (see recipe below). Using both lemons & limes give the sour mix a great tart, bright flavor that’s essential to a good Long Island. You can buy the sour mix but homemade is better & cheaper.
Make sure you have lots of ice. LOTS of ice. It’s an integral part of this being a good cocktail. Also, have some lemon & lime sliced for garnish. Straws are optional.
There’s speculation over whether Long Island iced tea actually originated from Long Island or…Tennessee as some claim. Either way, there’s many of us that have fallen under its spell & woken in the morning to regret it. That’s because when you get the mix right, Long Island iced tea goes down very easily – especially when the weather is warm & you’re enjoying some great snacks with it. To ensure the cocktail is made well we suggest designating one (or two for a crowd) people to make them, ensuring quality control. Or control!
Long Island Iced Tea
Ingredients
SWEET & SOUR MIX (enough for 14 cocktails)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup lime juice
ALCOHOL QUANTITIES FOR ONE COCKTAIL
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz white rum
- 1 oz tequila
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz triple sec (orange flavored liqueur)
- cola (as in coke-a-cola)
- lemon & lime slices, for garnish
To make the sweet & sour mix:
- Combine sugar & water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil & let boil, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat & add strained juices. Pour into heatproof jars with screw-top lids; chill until ready to use.
- Combine 2 oz of sweet & sour mix, with 1 oz of each alcohol in a cocktail shaker & shake vigorously for a few seconds. Pour into highball glasses filled with ice until 3/4 full (or straight into a highball glass); top with cola (about 2 oz). Add lemon & lime slices for garnish.
- Store remaining sour mix in the fridge in a screw-top jar for up to 2 weeks.
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