contemporary · built
Long Island Iced Tea recipe
Five white spirits, lemon and a splash of cola. Handle with care.
A Long Island Iced Tea is 15 ml (14.1 g) Vodka, 15 ml (14.1 g) Gin, 15 ml (14.1 g) White Rum, 15 ml (14.1 g) Tequila, 15 ml (14.7 g) Triple Sec, 25 ml (25.8 g) Fresh Lemon Juice, 30 ml (33.3 g) Sugar Syrup and 30 ml (31.2 g) Cola, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 160 ml before ice, at roughly 17.8% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume160 ml
- Strength (est.)17.8% ABV
- Time7 min
Long Island Iced Tea ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodka | 15 ml | 14.1 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Gin | 15 ml | 14.1 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| White Rum | 15 ml | 14.1 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Tequila | 15 ml | 14.1 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Triple Sec | 15 ml | 14.7 g | 0.98 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 25 ml | 25.8 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sugar Syrup | 30 ml | 33.3 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Cola | 30 ml | 31.2 g | 1.04 | Top with cola |
How to make a Long Island Iced Tea
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build Vodka, Gin, White Rum, Tequila, Triple Sec, Fresh Lemon Juice and Sugar Syrup straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Top with Cola and stir once, gently, from the bottom up.
Long Island Iced Tea: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Long Island Iced Tea?
Roughly 17.8% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Medium strength. About the same as a fortified wine, poured short.
What glass should a Long Island Iced Tea be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Long Island Iced Tea without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Long Island Iced Tea
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