There ’s a lot I do n’t remember from college . My favorite prof ’s name . My sorority ’s secret handshake . The Chaucer I memorized . Ironically , however , I do remember my firstLong Island Ice Tea .

I had just turned 21 and my boyfriend had been going on about how effective the Long Island Ice Teas were at the 5 Olde Nugget Alley , ourlocal dive . He took me , sleep together that the benevolent barkeep ( whose name I now also bury ) would comp LIITs to fresh minted 21 - year - old . I ordered one , muse the crapulence ’s cartoonish repute as a raging , crude glass of pure ethanol .

It was scrumptious — vivid and citrusy with just a hint of caramel cola . The seemingly random orgy of spirits somehow melded into one strangely mellow flavor . It was a more impressive trick than any behind the back bartending flair I ’d ever seen .

Long Island Iced Tea

Which leave me with another question : Why all the hate ?

The high octane warning is fair enough . More than a few times I acted as a crutch for those who ’d fallen prey to the mellifluous siren song of the 5 Olde Nugget LIIT . But the die hard conventional wisdom holds that it is an abomination . I discover this farcical .

The truth is that the Long Island Ice Tea is fantastic . But most hoi polloi have never had a good one .

What they ’ve in all probability had is equal theatrical role tequila , threefold sec , vodka , rum , gin and sour mix with a spattering of cola . This is indeed an abomination . Replace the sour intermixture with fresh squeezed lemon juice and you better the drink 238 percent . Now it ’s time to double the triple sec and advertize that Aspinwall from a splatter to a full two ounces . Now trade in semi - decent booze . Do n’t go breaking out the Patrón or Grey Goose , but use something you would n’t mind booze on its own .

at long last , rent ’s exercise a little self - ascendancy . Much of the Long Island Ice Tea ’s soured repute come from the people who use them to drive their bombilation 900 miles an hour into a brick wall . So stop filling imperial pint glasses with the hooey . This is a highball cocktail — handle it like one .

Because ordering aLong Island Ice Teain a bar still often elicit a smirk or eyeroll from the bartender , I recommend you make your own at home and guess for yourself . Our recipehas been prove on both haters and LIIT apologists and come out on top . Give it a attempt , and when you come to love it , give a little salutation to what’s - his - face , that forgotten yet marvelous barman who show me the path to Long Island Ice Tea nirvana .