A Long island ice tea is a popular highball cocktail made with several different kinds of alcohol. It’s a popular drink in the summertime because it’s iced and cold, but it’s also a popular bar drink because of its high concentration of alcohol. In the standard Long Island ice tea and in most of the variations, there is no actual ice tea used.
To make a Long Island ice tea, combine equal parts gin, tequila, white rum, triple sec and vodka, with a splash of cola and one and a half parts sour mix. Mix it in a highball glass with ice, and serve with a garnish of lemon.
There are a huge amount of variations of the Long Island ice tea, as there are several different types of alcohol used and personal preference comes into play. The Long Beach ice tea uses cranberry juice instead of cola. The Purple Rain ice tea uses lemonlime soda instead of cola, and uses Chambord instead of Triple Sec.
In most of the variations, though, the sour mix is switched out for something else, as sour mix is not always a popular add-in. Lemon juice, lemonade, and lemonlime soda are all popular alternatives to the sour mix. As well, pineapple juice has become a popular alternative to sour mix. In countries outside of America, sour mix is never used, and lime cordial is the addition instead. Occasionally the tequila is switched out, too, because it has a very strong taste and can overpower the other flavors. Often brandy is used instead of tequila.
