Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea – A Couple Cooks

March 17, 2026

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This Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea is an ocean-blue cocktail with tangy, citrusy taste and fewer alcohol than you’d count on: prepared in simply 5 minutes! Be taught the substances, substitution ideas, and easy methods to make a pitcher model for a crowd.

Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea – A Couple Cooks

There’s one thing virtually magnetic a few blue drink: do you’re feeling it too? For some cause I’ve at all times been drawn to drinks this coloration, and this one tastes surprisingly recent and candy tart: the Blue Lengthy Island, aka Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea! After all, the normal Lengthy Island Iced Tea has a little bit of a repute for being a low-brow, excessive alcohol drink.

However this recipe truly has refreshing, nuanced taste and much less alcohol than most cocktails! It makes use of blue curacao for its ocean-hued coloration, and it provides a stunning citrusy taste. It’s one in all my favourite blue drinks!

Substances for a Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea

The Lengthy Island Iced Tea is a highball cocktail that mixes cola with 5 completely different liquors: vodka, tequila, rum, gin and orange liqueur. The title comes from its coloration: the drink is brown when blended collectively and appears like iced tea. It was probably invented in 1972 by a bartender in Lengthy Island, New York, and went on to change into a preferred cocktail on the record of the Worldwide Bartender Affiliation’s IBA official cocktails.

A Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea, aka Blue Lengthy Island for brief, swaps out the orange liqueur for blue curacao. Blue curacao is a sort of orange liqueur with a brilliant blue coloration, made on the island of Curacao. This recipe additionally swaps cola for ginger ale, which is lighter in coloration. For this recipe, you’ll want:

Vodka
Tequila
White rum
Gin
Blue curacao
Lemon juice
Ginger ale

Tip: An important ingredient, after all, is the blue curacao. When you don’t have all of the others, that’s okay! Maintain studying for extra about this signature alcohol and what you’ll be able to substitute for the others.

Highlight on Blue Curacao

An important a part of any blue drink, together with the Blue Lengthy Island? Blue curacao! That is what provides the drink its brilliant blue coloration. Right here’s what to know:

Blue curacao is an artificially-colored orange liqueur invented by Dutch settlers on the island of Curaçao. There are a number of colours of Curaçao: the preferred at this time are clear and blue. Blue curacao has been bought since 1912. It’s flavored with the Laraha orange peel, a sort of orange that grows on the island.
The best way to pronounce Curaçao? Say it Treatment-ah-souw.
What does blue curacao style like? It has a candy orange peel taste, with refined bitter end.
How a lot does it value? Blue curacao is cheap; a 750 ml bottle prices about $10. Attempt to purchase a mid-range bottle; we like Drillaud model (keep away from DeKuyper).
What else can you employ it for? Numerous blue drinks! Combine up a Blue Margarita, Blue Hawaii, Aqua Velvaor Blue Lagoon.

The best way to Make a Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea

When you’ve assembled all the substances, the Blue Lengthy Island comes collectively in a flash! The flavors come out extremely recent and scrumptious. This drink has solely 2.5 ounces alcohol, so it’s not as boozy as you suppose! It’s just like lots of my 300+ cocktailsparticularly the opposite highball cocktails. Right here’s what to do (or scroll right down to the recipe):

Mix: Pour the vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, blue curacao, and lemon juice right into a highball glass.
Ice and stir: Fill the glass with ice and stir to mix.
Prime and garnish: Add ginger ale and end with a lemon wedge.

Can You Substitute the Liquors?

The Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea is a little bit of a kitchen sink fashion drink. It makes use of nearly the whole lot within the liquor cupboard! Fortunately, you don’t need to have all the substances to make a tasty BLIIT. Listed below are just a few recommendations on substitutions:

Vodka, tequila, or gin: Depart one of those out and double one of many different liquors. For instance, for those who don’t have gin double the tequila. Attempt to have no less than three of the 4 most important liquors for those who can. Two of the 4 may additionally work.
White rum: Use aged rum for those who don’t have white. You would use darkish rum: simply be aware that the colour of the drink will likely be darker!

The Greatest Ginger Ale to Use

The ginger ale makes for a deliciously recent Blue Lengthy Island Iced Tea. In truth, I prefer it higher than the customary model of the drink! (Particularly as a result of I don’t typically purchase cola.) You should use any model you want, however listed below are some favorites:

Q Ginger Ale: That is my best choice! It is available in small cans so that you solely have to make use of just a little at a time.
Fever Tree Ginger Ale: Fever Tree is made with actual ginger and has no synthetic sweeteners.

Need extra drinks with ginger ale? Go to 8 Traditional Ginger Ale Cocktails.

Make It for a Crowd: Pitcher Model

This cocktail scales up effectively for events. To make a pitcher (8 servings): mix ½ cup every of vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, and blue curacao with 1 cup of recent lemon juice. Add 2½ cups ginger ale. Pour into ice-filled highball glasses to serve.

Variations on the Lengthy Island Iced Tea

There are just a few different methods to make this traditional cocktail! Listed below are a pair different variations so as to add on to the Blue Lengthy Island:

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