The Long Island Iced Tea is a famous multi-spirit cocktail that combines vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec with citrus and cola.
Despite its name, the cocktail contains no tea. Its amber color and balanced sweetness create a resemblance to iced tea while delivering one of the strongest profiles in mainstream cocktail culture.
Ingredients
- Illadelph Organic Vodka 15 ml
- Gin 15 ml
- White rum 15 ml
- Tequila 15 ml
- Triple sec 15 ml
- Sour mix + cola 40-60 ml
Garnish
Lemon wedge
Instructions
Add all spirits, lemon juice, and syrup into a shaker with ice
Shake briefly
Pour into a highball glass with fresh ice
Top with cola
Stir gently
The Story
The Long Island Iced Tea emerged in the United States during the 1970s and quickly became known for combining multiple spirits into a single balanced cocktail.
Although it contains vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec, the drink was designed to remain surprisingly smooth and approachable through citrus, sweetness, and dilution.
Its name comes from its visual resemblance to iced tea rather than any actual tea ingredient.
Over time, the cocktail became one of the most recognizable party drinks in modern bar culture, known equally for its strength and its deceptively easy drinkability.
In Pop Culture
Few cocktails are as strongly associated with nightlife and party culture as the Long Island Iced Tea.
Its reputation grew through bars, clubs, college nightlife, and casual social drinking environments where large, high-alcohol cocktails became symbols of celebration and excess.
At the same time, the drink also became a recognizable part of mainstream cocktail culture because of its unusual structure and instantly recognizable name.
The Long Island Iced Tea reflects a broader era of cocktail history where boldness, quantity, and accessibility often mattered more than minimalism or traditional balance.
Even today, it remains one of the most universally recognized cocktails in the world.
Celebrity Mentions
Few cocktails are as strongly associated with nightlife and party culture as the Long Island Iced Tea.
Its reputation grew through bars, clubs, college nightlife, and casual social drinking environments where large, high-alcohol cocktails became symbols of celebration and excess.
At the same time, the drink also became a recognizable part of mainstream cocktail culture because of its unusual structure and instantly recognizable name.
The Long Island Iced Tea reflects a broader era of cocktail history where boldness, quantity, and accessibility often mattered more than minimalism or traditional balance.
Even today, it remains one of the most universally recognized cocktails in the world.
Make It Better with Illadelph
Try it with Illadelph Organic Vodka for the best result.
Buy Illadelph Vodka →
