Long Island Iced Tea: Recipe, Alcohol Content & History

You order it, the bartender sighs — but does anyone truly know what’s inside that tall glass of iced tea-colored liquid? The Long Island Iced Tea is a drink that hides its punches, packing five different spirits under a deceptively innocent cola hue.

Alcohol by volume (ABV): 22-28% ·
Number of spirits: 5 ·
Calories per serving: ~220 ·
Year invented: 1970s ·
IBA official cocktail: Yes ·
Popular non-alcoholic version: Virgin Long Island Iced Tea

Six key facts, one pattern: the Long Island Iced Tea is a drink defined by contradictions — official recipe status versus bartender scorn, high popularity versus low respect.

What is Long Island Iced Tea made of?

The IBA official recipe calls for equal parts of five different spirits — vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, and triple sec — plus lemon juice, simple syrup, and a splash of cola for color (International Bartenders Association (official cocktail authority)). It’s stirred, not shaken, and served over ice in a highball or pint glass, garnished with a lemon slice (European Bartender School (bartending education)). The result is a drink that looks like iced tea but contains none — the color comes entirely from the cola and the lemon juice (Encyclopaedia Britannica (reference publisher)).

What’s in a Long Island Iced Tea in the UK?

The UK version follows the same core recipe but may substitute lemonade for simple syrup and cola for the splash of mixer, depending on the bar (European Bartender School (bartending education)). The European Bartender School’s standardized recipe uses 20 ml each of vodka, light rum, gin, tequila, and Cointreau, plus 20 ml lemon juice and 10 ml sugar syrup, topped with Coca-Cola.

Long Island Iced Tea ingredients in ml

• 20 ml vodka
• 20 ml white rum
• 20 ml gin
• 20 ml blanco tequila
• 20 ml triple sec or Cointreau
• 20 ml fresh lemon juice
• 10 ml simple syrup (or to taste)
• Splash of cola to top (A Bar Above (cocktail resource))

Best Long Island Iced Tea recipe

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Pour 15 ml each of vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, and triple sec.
3. Add 25 ml lemon juice and 10 ml simple syrup.
4. Stir gently.
5. Top with cola until the drink turns amber-brown.
6. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

The result is a balanced, dangerously sippable drink that clocks in at roughly 22-28% ABV (VinePair (drinks media)).

How much alcohol is in a Long Island Iced Tea?

A standard Long Island Iced Tea contains about 2.5 ounces (75 ml) of distilled spirits in a single serving (A Bar Above (cocktail resource)). That’s roughly five times the alcohol content of a standard single-shot drink. The resulting ABV lands between 22% and 28%, depending on the pour (VinePair (drinks media)).

Is a Long Island a strong drink?

Yes — by volume of pure alcohol per serving, the Long Island Iced Tea is significantly stronger than most standard cocktails. A typical margarita, for comparison, contains roughly 1.5 ounces of tequila and has an ABV around 15-18%. The Long Island more than doubles that alcohol load in a single glass (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

Alcohol percentage comparison with other cocktails

The table below shows where the Long Island Iced Tea ranks among popular cocktails by alcohol strength.

The implication: the Long Island Iced Tea is less a cocktail and more a delivery system for five shots of liquor disguised as a single drink. For anyone tracking their intake, assume each serving equals roughly three standard drinks.

Is Long Island Iced Tea the strongest cocktail?

It depends on how you measure “strong.” By total alcohol volume per serving, the Long Island is among the highest — but other cocktails like the Zombie (which can contain three or more rums plus overproof rum) or layered shots like the B-52 can have higher ABV percentages (VinePair (drinks media)). The Long Island’s claim to infamy is more about volume: at roughly 2.5 ounces of pure spirits per serving, it delivers a lot of alcohol relative to its mixer volume.

What’s the strongest cocktail to order at a bar?

• Zombie: often 30-35% ABV, with multiple rums and overproof rum
• Singapore Sling: ~20-25% ABV, similar to Long Island but with fewer spirits
• Long Island Iced Tea: 22-28% ABV, 5 spirits
• Martini (extra dry): 30-35% ABV, but smaller serving
• Negroni: 24-28% ABV, 1.5 oz total spirit

The trade-off: ordering a “strong” cocktail often means getting a smaller drink with higher ABV. The Long Island gives you both high ABV and a large volume — which is exactly why bartenders worry about serving it in high-volume settings.

Why don’t bartenders like Long Island Iced Tea?

Ask any bartender and you’ll likely get a groan before an answer. The Long Island Iced Tea is widely considered a “rookie” drink — ordered by people who want to get drunk fast rather than enjoy a cocktail. It requires five different spirits (plus lemon, syrup, and cola), which slows down service in busy bars. It’s also messy to make: each bottle has to be picked up and poured, then put back, while the lemon and syrup add garnish time (European Bartender School (bartending education)).

Why Bartenders Aren’t Fans

• Ingredient-heavy: requires 8+ ingredients, slowing service
• Associated with overconsumption: often ordered by people planning to get drunk, not enjoy a cocktail
• Reputation as a “mess”: the combination of five spirits with cola is seen as a waste of good liquor
• Low margin: uses expensive spirits for a drink that’s often sold at a low price point

Bartender perspective on complexity and reputation

“It’s the cocktail equivalent of a microwave dinner — it gets the job done, but nobody’s proud of making it.”

— Anonymous bartender survey, via European Bartender School blog

“If someone orders a Long Island, I know exactly what kind of night they’re planning. And it’s usually not a tasting kind of night.”

— Bartender quoted in VinePair feature

Why is it called Long Island Iced tea?

Despite the name, the Long Island Iced Tea contains no iced tea — the color comes from cola and lemon juice, which together produce a tea-like amber hue (Encyclopaedia Britannica (reference publisher)). The name refers to the Long Island region in New York, where the drink reportedly originated.

History of the Long Island Iced Tea

The drink’s origin is contested. One popular story credits Robert “Rosebud” Butt, who claimed to have invented it at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island in the 1970s (Abaca Fruit Puree (industry blog)). Another legend places its creation during Prohibition in Tennessee, where a man called Old Man Bishop supposedly mixed whiskey, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and maple syrup with a splash of cola to create a drink that looked like iced tea (Abaca Fruit Puree (industry blog)).

Who invented it?

The 1970s Oak Beach Inn origin story is the most widely cited, though no definitive evidence confirms it (Abaca Fruit Puree (industry blog)). What’s clear is that the drink gained prominence in the late 20th century as a party cocktail, and by the 2000s it was a staple on bar menus worldwide (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

The implication: the drink’s name is its best marketing and its biggest liability. It attracts first-time drinkers who don’t know what they’re ordering, and it infuriates purists who see it as a gimmick.

How do you make a virgin Long Island Iced Tea?

For drinkers who want the flavor profile without the alcohol, a “virgin” version substitutes the five spirits with non-alcoholic alternatives or uses tea, fruit juices, and cola to mimic the taste. The most common approach uses iced tea as the base, plus lemon juice, simple syrup, and cola — essentially creating a spiked Arnold Palmer without the spike (European Bartender School (bartending education)).

Non-alcoholic version ingredients

• 1 cup brewed iced tea (black or green)
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• Splash of cola
• Ice and lemon wheel garnish

Substitute for spirits

For a closer mimic of the original’s complexity, some recipes use non-alcoholic spirits (e.g., Seedlip Spice 94 or Lyre’s range) to replace each of the five spirits. The result is a zero-ABV drink that preserves the tart, herbal, and slightly sweet character of the original.

The trade-off: virgin versions offer the experience without the risk, but they lose the original’s primary appeal — the deceptive potency. For most people, a Long Island Iced Tea without alcohol is just a fancy Arnold Palmer.

Summary

The Long Island Iced Tea is what it actually is: a high-proof, five-spirit cocktail dressed up as an innocent summer cooler — and that contradiction is exactly why it remains popular despite bartender scorn. For home mixologists, the challenge is balancing the five spirits without letting any single note dominate. For bar-goers, the warning is clear: one Long Island Iced Tea equals roughly three standard drinks, and ordering a second means you’ve essentially consumed the alcohol equivalent of six shots in two glasses. Drinkers should order a Long Island only if they are prepared for the consequences — or ask for a virgin version and skip the hangover entirely.

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For a deeper look into the deceptive cocktail’s origins and potency, this Long Island Iced Tea guide offers a thorough exploration of its recipe and history.

Frequently asked questions