Long Island Iced Tea
COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 15 ml Vodka
- 15 ml London Dry Gin
- 15 ml White Rum
- 15 ml Tequila Blanco
- 15 ml Triple Sec (Cointreau)
- 22,5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 15 ml Simple Syrup
- 60-90 ml Coca-Cola (Chilled)
- 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
GARNISH:
- Lemon Twist
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients except Coca-Cola and bitters in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Strain over fresh ice into a cocktail glass.
• Top with chilled Coca-Cola.
• Add Angostura bitters.
• Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Cocktail author: Origins of the cocktail remains unknown. Many speculations have come forth, but nothing could be proven with certainty. Recipe adapted by Nicholas Bennett.
There are just a few cocktails that are so well-known and notorious as Long Island Iced Tea. It’s boozy nature and extensive spirit ingredient list contributed to this reputation over the years. Probably helped by the fact that quite often it is badly made. At least in my experience. Especially if the cocktail is put together haphazardly by eyeballing ingredient quantities, hoping to hide behind the distinct flavour profile of Coca-Cola. However, if made with precision and care it can turn into a delicious cocktail.
Flavour profile is unsurprisingly quite complex, given the idea of how many different spirits had been used. Out of all the different notes, agave of blanco tequila and juniper of the London dry gin are the more prominent ones. Vodka, rum and triple sec contributes to the overall taste, but somewhat blend into the background. Additions of lemon juice and simple syrup helps to freshen up and balance the cocktail. However, there is no doubt, that a splash of Coca-Cola is playing a major part, if not the main one, in the overall taste of the cocktail. It brings a lot of flavour, sweetness and effervescence to the mix helping to reign in the wild notes of all the booze. Last addition of Angostura bitters brings a bit of spice and an aromatic element finishing off the cocktail.
(I thought of experimenting with Coca-Cola, perhaps trying to make a home-made equivalent, but to be honest, it is probably impossible to match the real deal. So why waste time on something that is pretty much zeroed in. Therefore, I have scrapped this idea rather quickly and decided to use the actual product.)
All in all, Long Island Iced Tea can be a remarkably refreshing and delicious drink exceeding any expectations, if you pay attention to detail.