Oct 2, 20202 min read

3 Mile Long Island Iced Tea

Buckle up we are going for another trip to Long Island. This is the 3 Mile Long Island Iced Tea.

At this point you would probably be able to find an endless list of variations on the original Long Island Iced Tea recipe. It became so popular so quickly that everyone wanted to add their own little twist to it. We have tried many different versions ourselves, but few measure up to this variation and without exaggerating it is defiantly one of our all time favourite cocktails. You might be wondering what is the difference from the original? Well oddly enough not much. The 3 Mile Long Island Iced Tea sees Tequila removed from the original recipe and Bitters added to it. Along with this instead of topping the drink with cola you will fill the drink part way with it and top off with your Sour Mix instead of using one and a half ounces like you usually would.

The next thing you might be thinking is, “What differences does this make and what does it taste like”. Well it would be easy for us to say try it and find out, but we will tell you just in case you are unconvinced. From our experience we found the 3 Mile was a lot more well balanced with the sweet of the cola and Triple Sec and the sour of the Sour Mix. Also because of the reduced amount of cola the drink is less carbonate and lighter and refreshing. The reduced quantity of cola also makes for a better lighter brown colour for the drink which is more reminiscent of Iced Tea which is how the drink is supposed to look. The addition of bitters makes a big difference in flavour as well. We used basic Angostura Aromatic bitters for this one but a citrus flavoured bitter would certainly add a lot more to this drink.

In our experience this is our favourite Long Island Iced Tea to date, and we have a feeling that a lot of other people would feel the same. One issue with a Long Island is often some bartenders can make them too sour which can put a lot of people off, especially when fresh Sour Mix is not being used. But this version hits just the right balance and it would certainly give the original a run for its money. Here is how it is made.