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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Who would have imagined that we’d still be ordering and drinking a 80-year-old cocktail with such a wacky recipe? The Long Island Iced Tea is legendary. I mean, I don’t know any other cocktail calling for vodka, tequila, white rum, gin and orange liqueur!
The Long Island Iced Tea as we know it was created in the 1940s and gained immense popularity during the 70s. After that, it kind of faded away to allow more modern libations to shine. Today, the Long Island Iced Tea is back, and its best version is blue.
Interestingly, to make a blue Long Island Iced Tea, you only need to substitute one ingredient in the classic recipe, and the switch doesn’t even change the drink’s profile. Why? Because we’re using blue curaçao liqueur, made with bitter oranges, instead of regular triple-sec or orange liqueur.
The difference is significant, though, even if it’s just the appearance of the cocktail we’re messing with. Still, blue drinks will always be better than clear and brown ones, so we’ll take it. Besides, blue curaçao is fun to have around the house — you can make Blue Margaritas and blue Cosmos with it as well!
Anyway, to make a Blue Long Island Iced Tea, you need a tall, highball glass. Build the cocktail over ice, starting with the vodka, tequila, white rum, gin and the blue curaçao. Then, add a splash of lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir the drink to bring all the ingredients together and top the cocktail with Coke. The soft drink will add a fizzy feel to the classic cocktail!
The only thing not everyone likes about the blue curaçao liqueur is that it’s tainted artificially, and we’re not complaining or anything. After all, there aren’t very many blue ingredients on the planet!
There’s good news, though. If you’re feeling adventurous, get your hands on butterfly pea flower tea. It’s used to make tasty floral infusions. If used in a cocktail, the tea will paint it blue. And there’s more, after adding the lemon juice, the Long Island Iced Tea will turn purple!
Here’s our homage to the famously blue drink responsible for our worse hangovers. This one is for the world-famous Long Island Iced Tea!
Add all the ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice, adding the cola last, and stir gently.
