Beyond the Long Island

Beyond the Long Island

Seeing as June is Iced Tea Month, I thought it might be fun to dig up some good tea recipes. Tea is delicious in many shapes and forms, and is an excellent drink base. You may think you’ve had a tea cocktail if you’ve had a Long Island Iced Tea, but the truth is that there’s no tea in it! There are plenty of ways, however, to get a refreshing glass of tea with a little something extra if you’re interested.

American Tea: For an easy sweet treat, add two ounces of honey liquor to your sweet tea and stir.  

Tea Spike: Mix an ounce and a half of white rum, half an ounce of dark crème de cacao, and 4 ounces of iced tea in a shaker; then pour into a highball glass. This makes for a sweet, cool summer drink.

Coney Island Iced Tea: Now this one does have tea in it! For a walk on the tropical side, add an ounce of spiced rum and a dash of lemon juice to your iced tea. Use lemon tea for extra zing.

Southern Kick: Mix half an once of whiskey and half an ounce of Southern Comfort in a glass; then, fill the rest with tea. Serve over ice.

Canadian Sweet Tea: Another simple drink, this one simply calls for 2 ounces of Canadian whiskey in your iced tea.

1800 Sweet Tea-quila: Combine an ounce and a half of 1800 Silver Tequila, 2.5 ounces of unsweetened iced tea, half an ounce of orange juice, half an ounce of sugar syrup, and half an ounce of lemon juice over ice and shake. Strain into a highball glass and garnish with a lemon wheel. Yummy!

Compton Iced Tea: Mix together 1.5 ounces of vanilla vodka, 1.5 ounces of Everclear, 1.5 ounces of coconut rum, 1.5 ounces of Jagermeister herbal liqueur, and 5 ounces of iced tea. Serve over ice.

Bengal Tiger Tea: Mix 4 ounces of cold tea, 2 dashes of bitters, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of sugar syrup, and an ounce and a half of cognac together and pour over ice, then garnish with a slice of lemon.

California Iced Tea: Mix together half an ounce each of gin, tequila, vodka, rum, and triple sec, 2 ounces of sweet and sour mix, and fill the rest of the glass with orange juice. Serve with a slice of orange.

You can also purchase liquor already made from tea, such as White Tea Liquor and Black Tea Liquor from Qui Spirits.