Long Island Iced Tea

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Sunday, June 2. 2013

Are summer mixed drinks Chick Drinks, or for everybody?

To each his own. I, however, generally avoid mixed drinks and hard booze except for the very rare Bloody Mary, Martini, Scotch or Bourbon on the rocks. Too much ethanol in them for me for routine consumption. Beer is fine, and a glass of wine at night.

However, with summer coming on we will review a few popular cool drinks, beginning with the dangerously potent Long Island Iced Tea (there is no tea in it).

Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink, Our Essays at 12:34 | Comments (15) | Trackbacks (0)

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I drank my share of Long Island Iced Tea's in my 20s and suspect that even one might kill me now. I do occasionally crave an ice-cold Kamikazee, but I am afraid it might have the same effect.

Our house rule is no wines over 13% on the label, which means we drink primarily French. Plus a German or Belgian beer here and there.

#1 D on 2010-05-27 13:46 (Reply)

When I tended bar, Long Island Iced Teas were almost guaranteed trouble. The only thing that caused more fights were women.

No matter how rough and tough looking he might have been, a construction worker who ordered "Jack Black and a beer back" was going to have 1 or 2 and then head home to the family. Zero problems and most likely a decent tip.

No matter how fresh faced and polite he might have been, the twenty-something who ordered Long Island Iced Teas was going to be involved in a fight before the night over. More often than not he was the one who started it, most of the time with a guy much bigger than himself. (I'm generalizing here D, I'm sure you were the epitome of class and restraint). There's a reason they call it "Liquid Courage".

I have always contended that anyone who tends bar for more than a year should automatically be awarded a degree in Psychology. Something along the lines of "Doctor of Practical Psychology".

NorthCountry

#2 NorthCountry on 2010-05-27 14:55 (Reply)

H'm. I've had a Long Island Iced Tea at our local Applebee's and it seemed quite mild. I'm a complete liquor lightweight, probably don't take in the equivalent of a bottle of wine from one year to the next, and it just gave me a mild buzz. Sweetheart was driving. No fight. But then, I'm not all that fresh-faced anymore.
The Air Force issues associate's degrees. Your bartender could be an Associate in Applied Psychology.

#2.1 Geoff Brown on 2010-05-27 16:22 (Reply)

I don't think I ever saw a man order or drink one. I thought it was just us girls.

#2.2 D on 2010-05-27 16:41 (Reply)

My summer bev would be a Red Eye -- a tall, icy Bloody Mary with beer instead of vodka. Quenching.

#3 lordsomber (Link) on 2010-05-27 15:03 (Reply)

AHHH! Redeyes!

I worked for a Dairy Farmer who began each day with a redeye in a tupperware glass w/cover that he brought with him to the barn for Morning Chores.

He never did manage to get me to switch from coffee, but I did try a few at his behest on the occasional redeyed Saturday morning and they are still on my list of surefire hangover cures.

He switched to beers for Afternoon Chores and then White Russians for Evening Chores. In over a year of living on his farm and working shoulder to shoulder with him 14 plus hours a day, seven days a week, I never saw him without a drink in his hand. I also never saw him drunk.

#3.1 NorthCountry on 2010-05-27 15:29 (Reply)

True story....back in the early 80s there was a bar in my home town where you could drink small long Island Iced teas for $0.79/glass...during happy hour. I suspect the bartenders had to water them down, but it sure didnt seem like it at the time as far as I can recall.

#4 Dave J on 2010-05-27 15:27 (Reply)

Even if each Long Island Iced Tea had only 1/2 ounce of each of those liquors, that's 3 1/2 ounces of liquor per drink. I would be, as the Texans say, "knee-walkin' commode' huggin' drunk" after one of them, let alone two.

This would take all of the fun out of being slightly tiddley.

Marianne

#5 Marianne Matthews on 2010-05-27 15:49 (Reply)

I think of the Ice Tea as a woman's drink also, however, if your sig. other has one don't let her have the second! It is a deadly drink.

#6 rbm411 on 2010-05-27 17:07 (Reply)

I like a nice Long Island to start a weekend. One is enough, then I switch to something more modest. Usually�

The bestest LI I�ve had was made like a flip, with an egg white in it. Smooths the edges of the booze, and all that.

Danged Nanny State ruined that for me, too. I�ll take my chances on raw egg from a reputable house.

#7 foxmarks (Link) on 2010-05-27 18:00 (Reply)

Buncha phoo phoo yuppies - Long Island Tea.

~~ sheesh ~~

Those "mixed" drinks are only for nancy boys and their fancy gal pals.

Back in the day, the ONLY summer drink worth mentioning was a good bourbon on the rocks with a sprig of mint. And the only good winer drink worth mentioning was Polish vodka on the rocks with a sprig of mint.

Or Dixie Beer which could be fairly equated with drinking carbonated panther urine, but for some odd reason, tasted really good on a hot Louisiana day or with crawfish with Zatarans Crab Boil.

Funny you should mention that though. When I quit, there weren't many choices of mixed drinks or beers or alcohol in general. Not like there are now.

I mean seriously - orange flavored vodka?

#8 Tom Francis on 2010-05-27 18:35 (Reply)

I like blender drinks because they're almost health food. I don't like to know the names of them, though, as they are usually stupid.

I like nibbling along on successive glasses of wine afternoon and evening. I like dark beers, scotches & water, and brandy with soda.

I like Old Fashioneds, both the name and the drink.

I like 'em all. Very soon the last child will have grown (we inherited a nephew a year ago, so that set me back 5 years) and I won't have to be a good example to anyone.

#9 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2010-05-29 01:40 (Reply)

Favorite summer drink is a good gin and tonic.

#10 B Moe on 2013-06-02 12:56 (Reply)

Meself be partial to Chick Drink when she's standing next and drinkin' it.

Ceased indulging t'killia day after Cinco de Mayo, "92 of previous century after sharing some little and drinking lions share of a couple of fifths of what's his name's Cuervo at a contractors 5/8 party.

Majority of guests were wetbacks and could not be convinced to speak English by midnight.

So, i gave up t'killia method of hallucinating but will drink a Corona or several on Cinco de Mayo, still, andith ceased talkin'
with wetbacks on 5/8.

#11 Leag on 2013-06-02 13:03 (Reply)

No Long Island Iced Tea for me.

No flavored vodkas or honey sweetened whiskey either.

Bombay 80 proof with Schweppe's tonic about 3:1 gin, and lots of fresh squoze lime.

Bloody Marys made with tequila (El Jimador is a good choice--not too pricey and has a peppery finish), or, again, Bombay 80 proof.

Finlandia vodka makes a great screwdriver or Bloody.

Short recipe for an excellent Bloody--no mixes allowed.

2 ounces liquor--see above.

2 to 4 ounces V8 low sodium vegetable juice. More, if need be.

Squeezings from a lime or lemon.

A drop or two of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.

Add Texas Pete Hotter Hot Sauce to taste.

Garnish with green olives or celery.

Stir well and serve over ice.

It is also permissible to mix vodka and tequila, gin and vodka--you get the idea.

All neat or on the rocks:

Cutty Sark Scotch;

Old Crow Bourbon;

Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

Cutty Sark and Old Crow are inexpensive but tasty. On the second drink you will never know it's not high dollar liquor. To test for this, obtain a premium liquor bottle and fill it with Cutty or Crow. Nobody ever knows the difference. Finlandia is an excellent vodka. Use it. Do not try to pass off Smirnoff on anybody.

Ice cold Budweiser in the hot summer time.

California Chardonnay--there are far too many to name--for sipping or at meal time.

I have given up the sauce but remember it well.

As I recall, Long Island Iced Tea was excellent at removing panties.

Best,

red

#12 tennesseered on 2013-06-02 18:55 (Reply)

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Sunday, June 2. 2013

Long Island Iced Tea