Long Island Iced Tea
Deliciously Sweet & Tart With Notes Of Lemon, Orange, and Cola
A Dangerously Good Classic Libation!
When someone says what’s the best, worst cocktail you’ve ever had, what comes to mind? Some might say the Grasshopper with it's mint creamy texture. While others might say a Blood & Sand or a Harvey Wallbanger, but we’ll bet that most, without a shred of doubt, would throw some serious shade at the humble Long Island Iced Tea. We know, we know. The Long Island is delicious but, we’ve all been there…your first Long Island tastes great. Your second Long Island becomes dangerous. And your third…we’ll let’s hope you are still wearing pants, LOL!
Though arguably the best, worst cocktail ever invented, The Long Island Iced, like many other classics, has a storied past rooted in cocktail culture and developed with the pursuit of life, liberty, and dangerously good libations in mind.
As history documents, and we should get this out of the way, The Long Island Ice Tea does not contain any tea. We know, we know, you had your hopes up, but again, you are reading about the best, worst cocktail ever invented, so your hopes were already somewhat dashed. Here's the skinny: most people say it tastes like tea…not true. It’s really the color that resembles freshly brewed tea. #tmyk🌈⭐
No tea added aside, the Long Island can trace its roots back to the pre-prohibition 1920s in Kingsport, Tennessee, of all places, when a rather inquisitive and thirsty gentleman named Old Man Charlie Bishop combined 5 spirits (rum, gin, tequila, whiskey, gin, vodka) plus some maple syrup to make a libation so potent and so loved that locals couldn’t stop drinking it. His beverage was called the “Long Island Iced Tea” to commemorate the four-mile-long island in Holsten River in Kingsport, TN.
As decades and generations passed, so did countless versions of the Long Island until the 1970s when Robert “Rosebud” Butt, a bartender from Long Island, NY, entered his Long Island variation into a Triple Sec cocktail competition at the Oak Beach Inn. Utilizing the multi-spirit approach coined by Old Man Chuck (rum, gin, tequila, vodka) with the additions of lemon juice, simple syrup, and the pièce de résistance, Triple Sec and Cola, Rosebud crafted a beverage that was delicious, so sweet, so tart, and most importantly, so dangerously good, that the imbibing world never looked back and well you guessed it, he won the competition hands down.
Since Rosebud’s development and the introduction of the modern Long Island Iced Tea, you can now find them everywhere. Though labeled as the best, worst cocktail in history, the Long Island can be found in most, if not all, college bars, dive bars, dorm rooms, fraternity house parties, and is even seeing a resurgence in craft cocktail bars around the globe. When mixed correctly, the balance of a Long Island is unmatched. When mixed incorrectly, well… you're in for a crazy night!!
No matter your sentiment on the Long Island Iced Tea, best, worst, somewhere in the middle, this dangerously good classic paved the way for countless multi-spirit libations to come, ushering in decades of discovery and debauchery along the way. Cheers to the Long Island Iced Tea, and remember to always imbibe responsibly!
TASTING & SERVING NOTES
A Leisuremann’s Long Island Iced Tea celebrates this dangerously good libation in true form. On first sip, you’ll be greeted with robustly tart and sweet lemon with a lasting orange finish. As the ice in your Long Island melts- which we highly recommend taking your time and savoring this drink, LOL!- you’ll get hints of cola as well as the subtle nuances of all 4 base spirits. Best served on the rocks in a Collins or pint-style glass. Mixes well with any and all spirits, but Rum, Gin, Vodka, and Tequila are traditionally used. Garnish with a lemon or orange wedge, sit back and enjoy!
Mix as a Mocktail!! Try our Long Island Iced Tea mixer as a mocktail by adding your favorite zero-proof spirit, flavored water, or dare we say, a freshly brewed iced or not tea to the mix.