A strong and barrel-chested cocktail, the Long Island Iced Coffee will keep your night going a little longer.
If the Long Island Iced Tea is one of the most famous, and booziest cocktails out there, it would stand to reason that there would also be a Long Island Iced Coffee, yes? There’s a fair amount of popular, trendy and fashionable mixed drinks floating around that feature our caffeinated friend coffee, and, sometimes it’s the hyper family member, espresso.
Said to have been invented in Long Island in the 1970s, the “kitchen sink” drink that came to be known as the Long Island Iced Tea featured a prodigious combination of gin, tequila, vodka and rum, poured over ice and topped with a dark, fizzy cola. There’s a little more to it than that, like lemon juice, simple syrup, some triple sec… The point is, there’s a lot going on in there, and at the same time, it all comes together rather beautifully. If it didn’t work, we wouldn’t be talking about it.
But how does coffee do in a cocktail like that? And is it just a matter of swapping out the soda for coffee? Not at all. In fact, apart from the four main spirits, this recipe is absent of simple syrup, lemon juice or triple sec. The result is a very robust and powerful-tasting tipple that’s a blend of bitter coffee flavors, swimming with semi-sweet notes of vanilla and chocolate from the liqueur. The smooth bite from the alcohol on the finish brings a fine, warming feeling after each cool sip.
If you’re looking for an extra powerful pick-me-up the next time you head out for brunch, try a Long Island Iced Coffee. You might start a new trend.
What Is The Best Gin To Use In A Long Island Iced Coffee?
There are a few different kinds of spirits used in a Long Island Iced Coffee, and the general rule of thumb is to keep the rum and tequila a silver variety, so the clear colors and unaged qualities meld nicely with the vodka and gin. The thing about gin, though, is that in my experience, it doesn’t play that well with coffee. When I’ve made Espresso Martinis using gin instead of vodka, the flavors tend to clash instead of becoming one with each other. For a more harmonious mixture, a sweeter gin, like Old Tom, works better, as the herbaceous qualities of a London Dry might be a little too strong.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce vodka
- 1/2 ounce white rum
- 1/2 ounce tequila
- 1/2 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur
- 2 ounces cold brew coffee or well-chilled iced coffee
- Lemon wedge for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the vodka, white rum, tequila, gin, and coffee liqueur. Then add the cold brew coffee.
- Shake hard for about 15 seconds until well chilled and smooth.
- Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Optionally, garnish with a lemon wedge.
Nutrition
WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH ARE USED?
A highball glass filled with ice is how you’ll want to serve this cocktail. Add a lemon wedge on top for garnish if you’d like.
CAN YOU ADD CREAM TO THIS RECIPE?
If you’d like to soften the flavor of this intense-tasting drink, you can top it off with a little half-and-half, sweet cream or Irish cream.
Similar Cocktails To The Long Island Iced Coffee
Coffee and coffee-flavored cocktails have some good range. From the beautifully bitter to smooth and creamy, there’s a boozy caffeine concoction out there for everybody’s tastes. Some are simple, some require a little elbow grease, but all of them offer delicious, relaxing rewards. Give a few of these a try this weekend and put a little pep in your step.
- Irish Coffee – This sweet and smooth classic will have you missing Galway Bay, even if you’ve never been there.
- Colorado Bulldog – Cola and coffee liqueur combine in this bubbly vodka cocktail.
- Coffee Liqueur – Speaking of, here’s a recipe for a delicious homemade coffee liqueur that’ll keep your home bar stocked.
- Revolver – Bourbon and coffee liqueur make for a smoky and explosive combination.
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