Porchlight beverage director Nick Bennett admits that the Long Island Iced Tea is a mess on paper. “But if you look at the recipe as a whole,” he says, “it’s a simple sour.” In addition to the full complement of base spirits, his version is spiked with a citrus syrup (infused with a touch of ginger) and a healthy dash of Angostura bitters to create the drink’s signature ombre effect. At his Chelsea bar, the drink is served on tap, but below is a single-serving rendition.
Porchlight’s Long Island Iced Tea
Nick Bennett | New York City
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1/2 ounce vodka, preferably Wodka
- 1/2 ounce gin, preferably Fords
- 1/2 ounce aged Guyanese rum, preferably El Dorado 8
- 1/2 ounce reposado tequila, preferably Espolón
- 3/4 ounce Cointreau
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce citrus syrup (see Editor’s Note)
- colapreferably Fever-Tree, to top
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange wedge
Directions
- Combine all ingredients except for the cola and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain into a footed highball glass over ice.
- Top with cola and Angostura bitters.
- Garnish with an orange wedge.
Editor's Note
Citrus Syrup
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 2 limes
1125 grams water
1050 grams sugar
25 grams ginger, chopped
2.5 grams salt
25 grams ginger, chopped
1 1/2 ounces lime juice
1 ounce lemon juice
10 grams citric acid per 1000ml citrus syrup
5 grams malic acid per 1000ml citrus syrup
Combine all ingredients except the juices in a medium-size pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon and lime juices. Let the syrup cool. Pass ingredients through a mesh strainer, then pour syrup through a coffee filter to strain a second time. Measure the volume of the syrup in milliliters, then add 10 grams citric acid and 5 grams malic acid per 1000 milliliters syrup. Stir until the acids are dissolved.