How to Make a Long Island Ice Tea

Tennessee Iced Tea - Two Recipes, Two Different Origins?

Feb 27, 2009

Containing five different liquors, the long island ice tea offers a tasty, potent option to many two-part drinks. Read on to learn the history and how-to of this drink.

The Long Island ice tea is not ice tea at all. A white liquor drink, it contains vodka, gin, light rum, tequila, and in many recipes - triple sec. Mixed with a wash of sour and a splash of coke, this drink has tricked many a bar patron into believing they aren't really drinking any liquor at all. Tasty or not, this beverage should be consumed with caution, it's potency can cause even a seasoned drinker to lose their balance.

Their are two stories as to the origins of the "Long Island." The common version states that the drink was first served in the 1970's by Rosebud Buttu, a bartender at the Oak Beach Resort Inn, in the town of Babylon, Long Island, New York. The location of Babylon on Long Island gave the drink its name. Patrons of the Inn enjoyed the drink so much, they brought it anywhere they could, effectively bringing the "Long Island" global popularity.

To make a Long Island Ice Tea you'll need:

There has been some talk, however, that the "Long Island" is really not from Long Island at all; that it's actual origins come from Tennessee. Author JS Moore says the drink was invented in the 1940's by a man named Old Man Bishop from a Kingsport, Tennessee community called, what else, Long Island. The recipe was then past down from father to son, making its way to Ransom Bishop, a friend of Moore's grandfather. Very little else seems to be known about this origin.

Old Man Bishop's version is different enough from the common Long Island Ice Tea, however, it isn't impossible to think that both men may have invented similar drinks 30 years apart and called it similar names based on the areas they came from.

To make the Tennessee Iced Tea version you'll need:

Mix ingredients thoroughly in a tall glass and then pour in 4 to 5 oz. of cola without stirring.

Whether the drink originated in New York or Tennesee, the invention of the Long Island Ice tea has been one many are thankful for. Whether it is a cool cocktail on a warm summer's evening, or a sipping drink during a favorite sporting event, the popularity of this beverage is bound to last.

The copyright of the article How to Make a Long Island Ice Tea in Beverage Recipes is owned by Jessica Spengler. Permission to republish How to Make a Long Island Ice Tea in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.