The Long Island Iced Tea is one of the more potent cocktails in existence. A hefty combination of tequila, rum, gin and vodka, the LIIT (as I’ll refer to it) is one of those elixirs that has a reputation for getting you where want to go a lot faster than other mixed drinks. Most beverages we share here at Twist & Toast tend to use around 2oz of any base spirit, sometimes a little more or less depending on the drink. The LIIT is around double that, and often more. Our recipe for today goes easy on the amount, so you can have more than one.
The Walk Me Down is a simple riff on the classic Iced Tea that was invented in Long Island, New York around 1972. This cocktail, well… I’m not really sure who came up with this version or who thought up the name. I imagine somebody was at a bar, drinking, and asked what their drink was called. The place was loud and they misheard someone saying “hey, walk me down” or something like that and it just stuck. It more than likely didn’t happen that way, but I also can’t imagine a committee gathering in a large boardroom and coming up with the moniker. This title of the drink is also called a Walk Me Down (Jesus) suggesting a religious connotation. Maybe this mixture was so strong that whoever first had one started seeing angels, or even demons, which prompted them to exclaim “walk me down, Jesus!” If that happened to me, I’d probably quit drinking. Remember the guy in the James Bond movies who would witness something crazy and then refer to the bottle he was drinking from, as if whatever libation he had was making him see things? Maybe it was like that. But probably not.
I’m getting off on a tangent here, so let’s get back to our home bars and take a look at how we’ll be making the Walk Me Down. No matter what it’s called or who came up with it, this boisterous cocktail has the potential to run you down, so remember to sip easily. There’s no rush.
What is the Best Booze to Use in a Walk Me Down?
With drinks like these, variations on the LIIT, you’re mixing a handful of different spirits together. I’ve always been told that’s bad. Here’s a fun memory from college: A roommate of mine mixed a bunch of wildly different alcohols together one night and I awoke the next morning to a symphony of vomiting. Since then, I’ve always been wary of combining spirits that don’t compliment each other. So in the Walk Me Down, definitely choose a white rum and tequila to go with the already clear gin and vodka.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce tequila
- 1/2 ounce vodka
- 1/2 ounce white rum
- 1/2 ounce blue curaçao
- 1/2 ounce gin
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- Lemon-lime soda to top 7Up/Sprite
Instructions
- In a shaker filled with ice, combine tequila, vodka, white rum, blue curaçao, gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice.
- Shake well until the outside of the shaker feels cold.
- Strain the mixture into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
- Top the glass with lemon-lime soda and gently stir to combine.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon or a twist of lemon peel, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
FAQs & Tips
A highball or Collins glass has just the perfect amount of space for your ice and your tipple. Garnish with a lemon wheel and twist. The yellow with the blue looks quite vibrant.
You can pre-mix the ingredients together except for the soda, and store covered in the fridge for around a day or so. Just shake it up and top with the lemon/lime soft drink when you’re ready to serve.
This is one heavy drink, weighing in at 319 calories. Don’t guzzle these too fast, otherwise walking “anywhere” won’t happen, let alone down.
The Walk Me Down uses blue curacao and lemon/lime soda in place of the LIIT’s triple sec and dark cola topper.
Yes, it is! Why the different name for the same drink? Imagine going to a family-friendly establishment and asking your server for an Adios, Motherfucker. The cocktail’s name lends itself to aliases.
Walk Me Down Variations
These strong and eye-popping Long Island Iced Tea variations will keep your next party going all week long. Twist & Toast has a number of excellent recipes to choose from. But why choose? Give them all a try! Check out a sampling of what we have below:
- Long Beach Iced Tea – Adding cranberry to this version of the classic drink brings those West Coast vibes to the East Coast classic.
- Tokyo Tea – Featuring Midori, this Iced Tea variation is so delicious it almost glows.
- Blue Long Island – Another blue Iced Tea variation, this one topped with ginger ale for an extra bubbly experience.
- Texas Tea – Adding bourbon gives this Iced Tea some spurs for a little extra kick.
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