The Real Long Island Iced Tea Recipe

It’s hard to know where and when the Long Island Iced Tea, perhaps one of the most infamous cocktails in modern times, was truly invented.

Who Invented the Long Island Iced Tea?

The city of Kingsport, Tennessee, has claimed it as their own, with tourism officials stating it was created by moonshine distiller Charlie “Old Man” Bishop during the Prohibition era and named after a nearby island in the Holston River. This original version was said to include modern staples like vodka, gin, rum and tequila, but also included whiskey and maple syrup.  

 

However, in an escalation of local tourism board public relations wars, New York’s Long Island disputed this account, claiming the drink was created much later in the 1970s by Robert “Rosebud” Butt, then a bartender at Jones Beach’s now-defunct Oak Beach Inn. That version hews closer to the Long Island Iced Tea made worldwide today. It includes triple sec and cola while omitting brown spirits.

 

What’s in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

A Long Island Iced Tea consists of vodka, gin, tequila, white rum, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup and cola. Though the number of liquors in this cocktail can seem staggering, one of the reasons for its enduring popularity is that it’s fairly uncomplicated to make. As an old bartender shorthand goes, just use all your clear base spirits plus triple sec, add in lemon juice and simple syrup, then top with cola.

 

What Is the Alcohol Content of a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

To bust one myth, when made to spec, a Long Island Iced Tea is not boozier than most other standard cocktails. Four full-fledged liquors are used but in half-ounce pours, meaning that added all together they comprise a full 2 ounces, which tends to be the standard amount for most single-spirit cocktails. There’s technically a fifth spirit here, too: Triple sec is a lower-proofed liqueur commonly used as a sweetening agent. Altogether, this makes your Long Island Iced Tea akin to a standard margarita, sidecar or even Cosmo in the alcohol-by-volume department.

 

The most notable achievement of the Long Island Iced Tea is that for a cocktail that sounds disgusting on paper—vodka, gin, tequila and rum in the same glass—it actually comes together in a deceptively easy-drinking package. Perhaps this is why the perception of its strength persists, not because of the overall alcohol content of the drink, but how quickly and easily they can be chugged.

 

 

 

How to Make a Long Island Iced Tea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAQs

 

What’s in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

Our booze-forward Long Island Iced Tea has five different liquors in it: vodka, gin, tequila, white rum and triple sec. It also incorporates lemon juice and simple syrup, plus a splash of cola, which gives the drink its signature color.

 

How many calories in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

According to the calorie-focused website Calorieking.com, an 8.3-ounce Collins glass of Long Island Iced Tea clocks in 276 calories. That said, if you use a larger glass and, as a result, top with even more cola, expect that figure to rise.

 

How many shots are in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

There are five spirits in equal parts in our classic Long Island Iced Tea, making for a total of 2.5 ounces of alcohol. This is equal to that of 1 ⅔ shots, assuming that the shot glass holds 1.5 ounces. (Keep in mind that the total includes a half-ounce of less-boozy triple sec.)

 

What does a Long Island Iced Tea taste like?

 

Though the drink’s color is reminiscent of an actual iced tea, there is no tea in it at all. It’s a little bit sweet, a tad sour and known to be an easy-drinking cocktail, which is why it’s often called a “dangerous” drink.

 

 How much alcohol is in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

According to Drizly, canned versions can range from as low as 13.2% alcohol by volume (ABV) to as high as 21% ABV. Remember, however, that homemade versions might be more or less boozy depending on the generosity of your pour.

 

How many carbs are in a Long Island Iced Tea?

 

Calorieking.com states that an 8.3-ounce Long Island Iced Tea delivers 33.3 grams of carbohydrates.

 

This article was updated on October 10, 2022.

 

Last Updated: June 27, 2023