Long Island Iced Tea - How to Elevate this Classic Cocktail with Vodka, Gin, Rum & Tequila

Here's how to make an excellent Long Island Iced Tea. This is Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s version of the classic. It combines Vodka, London Dry Gin, White Rum, Silver Tequila, Triple Sec (Orange Liqueur), fresh Lemon Juice, Rich Simple Syrup and Mexican Coke. So, it seems daunting, but it is elevated to a better status with better ingredients and a little care.

This iconic drink took the cocktail world by storm in the 1970’s and has been a standard ever since. Compared to the cocktail renaissance of the late 2000’s, this cocktail came onto the scene in, what was widely considered, the dark ages. The 70’s and 80’s emphasized making drinks fast, cheap and hiding the flavor of the booze. The drink we all know as the Long Island Iced Tea, certainly falls into this category.

There are claims to other origins for this drink, including a Prohibition-Era drink from Long Island, TN. This may have happened. It may have been called the Long Island Iced Tea, but it was certainly not the drink that became famous in the mid-70’s.

And it was in the 70’s that the drink that became famous as the Long Island Iced Tea was born. After it’s fame blew up in the mid-70’s, there were a lot of claimants for the drink, but in 1972 at the Oak Beach Inn (OBI) on Long Island, Bob “Rosebud” Butt submitted a drink to an internal-OBI contest among the staff to create drink using Triple Sec. That drink was the Long Island Iced Tea. Rosebud’s version used all-white spirits, including the Triple Sec, his citrus and sugar was in the form of Sour Mix. The drink was very pale. The Coca-Cola was added to give the drink the color that gives it the appearance of iced tea. This drink has 70’s cocktails written all over it and when made this way, it deserves the reputation is has among craft cocktail aficionados as being obnoxious.

But it’s not beyond repair. Just like the Piña Colada (https://youtu.be/kUzPrWqZTbo), there is a way to make it well using fresh ingredients. The best version of the Long Island Iced Tea recipe I’ve found came from Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the bar manager at Clyde Common. He had a couple key tweaks that saves it. The first, and most obvious is using quality spirits. Morgenthaler specifically recommends: Stoli, Tanqueray, Plantation 3 Star rum, Pueblo Viejo silver tequila, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice, rich simple syrup and Mexican Coke. Those will work well, but I like using the spirits from The 86 Company. They have a built-in Long Island Iced Tea starter kit. Their gin, rum and tequila are are boldly flavored expressions. And their vodka is what a good vodka should be, a good flavor conductor with a smooth mouthfeel. So, they all play really well together.

The next improvement was throwing out the plastic jug of Sour Mix and replacing it with the same measurement of fresh lemon juice and rich simple syrup. Rich simple syrup is just the same as regular 1:1 Simple Syrup (https://youtu.be/62YNp0jgzvU), just with double the sugar, so 2:1 sugar to water. It’s a good way to give yourself the edge without breaking the rules. It’s the same recipe, just with more control on the components.

The last two changes are the garnish and the ice. The garnish, if there is one, would typically be a slice of lemon wedge on the rim of the glass. I guess that way if it wasn’t sour enough, you could give it an extra booster shoot. But the lemon peel gives you a bright lemon expression without adding any more juice. The crushed ice in place of cubes, also helps round off any sharp edges that were still there. This is a subtle touch, but it makes a difference.

All of these changes help transform the drink while still being within the boundaries of the Rosebud recipe. This transformation is a little dangerous. It gives it a homemade lemonade feel. To me, the citrus, Cointreau and tequila stand out just a half step above the rest so it has kind of a complex Margarita (https://youtu.be/Ilta1hMAuJc) sense to it. Morganthaler’s version is surprisingly balanced and worth adding to your repertoire. Cheers!
Recipe:
0.5 oz Vodka
0.5 oz London Dry Gin
0.5 oz White Rum
0.5 oz Silver Tequila
0.5 oz Cointreau
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
2 tsp Rich Simple Syrup (2:1 simple syrup)
float 0.75 oz Mexican Coke
garnish Lemon Twist

Shake with ice. Strain over crushed ice in a Collins glass. Float Coke. Garnish lemon twist. Optionally serve with a straw.
Music:
Turn It Up Yall by Auracle
via JinglePunks
Featured in this Episode:
86 Co Spirits
http://bit.ly/2r4zoQs

Cointreau
http://bit.ly/2qYI52t

Mexican Coke
http://amzn.to/2chR4AI

Schott Zwiesel Collins Glass
http://amzn.to/2qYzP2f

OXO SteeL Double Jigger
http://amzn.to/2q6tNf1

OXO Measuring Spoons
http://amzn.to/2q6uLbt

Plaid Straws
http://amzn.to/2q6kR9K

Norpro Peeler
http://amzn.to/2r4NaCB

OXO SteeL Cocktail Shaker
http://amzn.to/2pDBjv5

Neat Ice Kit with Lewis Bag & Ice Mallet
http://amzn.to/2q6s35u

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