The Long Island Iced Tea, short LIT, is a classic and one of the most ordered drinks. That, however, also has its downsides in that the drink has quite a negative image because it often gets served in a not-so-classic way.
The original recipe is at least nearly as its reputation, yes. Yet, it's not as sickly sweet as the versions you can get at a college bar.
Now, time to get your shaker out and get ready to mix the best version of this misunderstood prohibition classic.
The key to making great cocktails is using great products. One of the biggest problems of overly sweet LITs is the lack of quality ingredients masked by sugar and citrus. To make an authentic, delicious Long Island Iced Tea, you'll need:
That's quite an extensive and alcohol-heavy list that turns into a dazzling cocktail when done right. If you keep these recommendations in mind and use the right ratios, your Long Island will be a delight.
Making a LIT is not very hard. The main things to consider are the same as for numerous other cocktails:
What you'll get then is a super intense cocktail that's well-balanced.
Further, the Long Island Cocktail is very easy and convenient to make as it is built in glass. All you need is a highball glass, a jigger, and a bar spoon.
The Long Island Iced Tea is a drink with countless variations. In fact, there are so many that it is hard to keep track of all of them.
Therefore, here's an overview of the most important ones (this list is not exhaustive):
Yes, it does get you drunk quickly. However, not for the reason you might think. When you look at the average ABV of a LIT, it clocks in at around 18%. That's not low but still far from what we consider a high-proof cocktail.
For comparison, vintage classics like the Manhattan or the Old Fashioned reach a whopping 25% and more. Of course, the drink size is a lot smaller than for the Long Island.
Thus, let's look at the alcohol intake in grams per serving. It's about 24 grams for the LIT, and surprisingly enough, it's the same for a standard-sized Manhattan Cocktail. So, where does this knock-out reputation come from?
The answer is that a Long Island Iced Tea is incredibly easy to drink. You can barely taste the alcohol and usually drink this cocktail way too fast.
Now, one more thing: if you believe that sugar speeds up the process as well, you're mistaken. Sugar actually slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
Even though LIIT seems to be the correct abbreviation at first, LIT is way more common.
First, it's about ease of use and pronunciation. Second, "Long Island" is technically one noun. Considering this, shortening it to LIT is not only easier to say, but also accurate.
The origin of the Long Island Iced Tea most likely lies in Kingsport, Tennessee. A guy named Charlie Old Man Bishop made the first version of what we know today as Long Island Iced Tea.
Living in his community named "Long Island" in Kingsport, he created this boozy cocktail during prohibition. The cocktail was supposed to look like a regular serve of Iced Tea and not like a boozy afternoon drink, hence the name.
Later, the recipe was refined by his son Ransom Bishop. The result was a mix of Whiskey, maple syrup, and five other liquors of different quantities.
Here's Ransom's formula to give you an idea of what the original version looked like:
Over time the recipe continued to change until we got today's well-balanced version of the Long Island Iced Tea, nearly as potent as in the traditional cocktail.
Here's also a clip of the grand daughter of Charlie Bishop, talking about his famous prohibition creation: