Long Island Iced Tea: A Keto Conundrum?

Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola. The drink gets its name from its resemblance in colour to iced tea. A standard Long Island Iced Tea is not keto-friendly due to the carbs from the sweetener and the cola. However, it is possible to make keto-friendly adjustments to the recipe by using a sugar-free sweetener and replacing the cola with a diet alternative.

Long Island Iced Tea ingredients

A Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail that contains five different types of alcohol: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec. The drink also includes a sweetener (usually simple syrup or sweet and sour mix) and a splash of cola.

The exact origins of the Long Island Iced Tea recipe are unknown, but some drink historians say it likely dates back to Prohibition when many people disguised their alcohol consumption. Others believe it was created in the 1970s at a bar called Oak Beach Inn in Babylon, New York, a town on the state's Long Island.

• Vodka: A well-made vodka, such as Tito's Handmade Vodka or New Amsterdam Vodka, will work well.
• Rum: Captain Morgan White Rum or Bacardi White Rum are good options that won't break the bank.
• Tequila: Use an unaged tequila, also known as silver or white tequila. Examples include Espolòn Tequila Blanco and El Jimador Silver Tequila.
• Gin: Standard gins such as Beefeaters or Tanqueray are perfect for this cocktail.
• Triple Sec: A sweet, orange-flavoured liqueur. Cointreau is one well-known brand, but a less expensive option such as DeKuyper will also work.
• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended over bottled lemon juice for a brighter, boozier flavour.
• Cola: The cola gives the drink its tea-like colour. Pepsi or Coca-Cola are commonly used, but a non-sugary substitute can be used for a keto-friendly version.

To make a keto-friendly Long Island Iced Tea, you can replace the simple syrup with a sugar-free sweetener such as erythritol or monk fruit extract. You can also use a diet cola instead of regular cola to reduce the carb count.

How to make a keto-friendly Long Island Iced Tea

A Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail that contains five different types of alcohol: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec. The drink also includes a sweetener (usually simple syrup) and a splash of cola, which gives the drink its name—its amber hue resembles the colour of iced tea.

A standard Long Island Iced Tea is not keto-friendly due to the carbs from the sweetener and the cola. However, you can make a few adjustments to the recipe to make it keto-friendly. Here's how:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz Vodka
• 1/2 oz White Rum
• 1/2 oz White Tequila
• 1/2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Triple Sec
• 2 oz Diet Coke
• Ice
• Slice of lemon for garnish
• Sugar-free sweetener (optional)

Method:

• Into a cocktail shaker, add your vodka, white rum, white tequila, gin, and triple sec. Shake until everything is thoroughly mixed.
• Fill your highball glass (or any cocktail glass) with some ice and gently pour in your alcohol mixture.
• Add the diet coke on top and stir well. If you need a little more sweetness, you can add some sugar-free syrup.
• Garnish with the lemon wedge and serve cold.

Tips:

• If you want to make a pitcher of this cocktail, simply multiply the measurements and mix the ingredients together. When serving, pour the cocktail over ice in individual glasses and garnish with lemon wedges.
• If you want to add a hint of orange flavour, add an orange rind twist to the cocktail.

Long Island Iced Tea nutritional information

A Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail that typically contains five different types of alcohol: vodka, rum, gin, tequila, and triple sec. The drink also includes a sweetener (usually simple syrup) and a splash of cola. The cocktail was invented in the Long Island region of New York, and the cola gives the drink an amber hue that resembles iced tea, hence the name.

A standard Long Island Iced Tea is not considered keto-friendly due to the carbs from the sweetener and cola. However, it is possible to make keto-friendly adjustments to the recipe. For example, you can replace the simple syrup with a sugar-free sweetener such as erythritol or monk fruit extract, and the cola with a diet soda.

A traditional Long Island Iced Tea has around 210 calories and contains about 10 grams of carbs. A keto-friendly version of the drink has only 180 calories and 0.1 grams of carbs.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz white rum
• 1/2 oz white tequila
• 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• 2 oz diet coke
• Ice
• Slice of lemon for garnish

Directions:

• Add the vodka, white rum, white tequila, gin, and triple sec to a cocktail shaker and shake until everything is thoroughly mixed.
• Fill a highball glass (or any cocktail glass) with ice and gently pour in the alcohol mixture.
• Add the diet coke on top and stir well. If you need extra sweetness, you can add some sugar-free syrup.
• Garnish with the lemon wedge and serve cold.

Long Island Iced Tea cocktail alternatives

Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail that contains five different types of alcohol: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec. The drink also includes a sweetener (usually simple syrup) and a splash of cola.

A standard glass of Long Island Iced Tea is not usually considered keto-friendly due to the carbs from the sweetener and the cola. However, you can make keto-friendly alternatives by using a sugar-free sweetener and replacing the cola with a sugar-free alternative.

Texas Tea

Add 1/2 cup of your favourite bourbon. This variation is best enjoyed outside while relaxing.

Long Beach Tea

Substitute cranberry juice for the cola. This variation is fruitier and more intensely tart, perfect for backyard cookouts.

Boston Tea Party

Also called a Walk Me Down or an Adios Motherfucker, this variation uses blue curaçao instead of triple sec, and lemon-lime soda instead of cola.

Grateful Dead (aka Black Widow)

This variation uses the same mix as a Long Island but replaces the triple sec with raspberry liqueur and the cola with lemon-lime soda.

Hawaiian Iced Tea

Replace the cola with pineapple juice to make a Hawaiian Iced Tea.

Tokyo Iced Tea

Use Midori instead of triple sec and lemon-lime soda instead of Coca-Cola for a greenish-coloured cocktail.

Tennessee Tea

Tennessee Tea replaces the gin with Tennessee whiskey and does not include tequila.

The history of Long Island Iced Tea

The Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail that typically contains vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola. Despite its name, the drink does not contain iced tea, but is named for having the same amber hue as iced tea.

There are two competing origin stories for the drink. The first claims that Robert "Rosebud" Butt invented it in 1972 while working at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York, as an entry in a contest to create a new mixed drink with triple sec. The second story dates back to the 1920s during Prohibition in the United States. It claims that a man named "Old Man" Bishop created a similar drink in a local community called Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee. This earlier version of the drink included whiskey, maple syrup, and varied quantities of the five liquors, and did not include triple sec or cola. In the 1940s, Old Man Bishop's son, Ransom Bishop, tweaked the recipe by adding cola, lemon, and lime, resulting in a version closer to the modern Long Island Iced Tea.

The cocktail has since become a classic, known for its high alcohol content and bright, refreshing flavour. It has also gained a reputation as a favourite among university students in the United States. The drink has inspired various similar cocktails, such as the Boston Tea Party, the Grateful Dead (or Black Widow), and the Hawaiian Iced Tea, which substitute different ingredients for those in the traditional Long Island Iced Tea.

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