Blue Long Island Iced Tea

This Blue Long Island Iced Tea is an ocean-blue cocktail with tangy, citrusy flavor and less alcohol than you’d expect: ready in just 5 minutes! Learn the ingredients, substitution tips, and how to make a pitcher version for a crowd.

There’s something almost magnetic about a blue drink: do you feel it too? For some reason I’ve always been attracted to drinks this color, and this one tastes surprisingly fresh and sweet tart: the Blue Long Island, aka Blue Long Island Iced Tea! Of course, the traditional Long Island Iced Tea has a bit of a reputation for being a low-brow, high alcohol drink.

But this recipe actually has refreshing, nuanced flavor and less alcohol than most cocktails! It uses blue curacao for its ocean-hued color, and it adds a lovely citrusy flavor. It’s one of my favorite blue drinks!

Ingredients for a Blue Long Island Iced Tea

The Long Island Iced Tea is a highball cocktail that mixes cola with five different liquors: vodka, tequila, rum, gin and orange liqueur. The name comes from its color: the drink is brown when mixed together and looks like iced tea. It was likely invented in 1972 by a bartender in Long Island, New York, and went on to become a popular cocktail on the list of the International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails.

A Blue Long Island Iced Tea, aka Blue Long Island for short, swaps out the orange liqueur for blue curacao. Blue curacao is a type of orange liqueur with a bright blue color, made on the island of Curacao. This recipe also swaps cola for ginger ale, which is lighter in color. For this recipe, you’ll need:

Vodka
Tequila
White rum
Gin
Blue curacao
Lemon juice
Ginger ale

Tip: The most important ingredient, of course, is the blue curacao. If you don’t have all the others, that’s ok! Keep reading for more about this signature alcohol and what you can substitute for the others.

Spotlight on Blue Curacao

The most important part of any blue drink, including the Blue Long Island? Blue curacao! This is what gives the drink its bright blue color. Here’s what to know:

Blue curacao is an artificially-colored orange liqueur invented by Dutch settlers on the island of Curaçao. There are several colors of Curaçao: the most popular today are clear and blue. Blue curacao has been sold since 1912. It’s flavored with the Laraha orange peel, a type of orange that grows on the island.
How to pronounce Curaçao? Say it Cure-ah-souw.
What does blue curacao taste like? It has a sweet orange peel flavor, with subtle bitter finish.
How much does it cost? Blue curacao is inexpensive; a 750 ml bottle costs about $10. Try to buy a mid-range bottle; we like Drillaud brand (avoid DeKuyper).
What else can you use it for? Lots of blue drinks! Mix up a Blue Margarita, Blue Hawaii, Aqua Velva, or Blue Lagoon.

How to Make a Blue Long Island Iced Tea

Once you’ve assembled all of the ingredients, the Blue Long Island comes together in a flash! The flavors come out incredibly fresh and delicious. This drink has only 2.5 ounces alcohol, so it’s not as boozy as you think! It’s similar to many of my 300+ cocktails, especially the other highball cocktails. Here’s what to do (or scroll down to the recipe):

Combine: Pour the vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, blue curacao, and lemon juice into a highball glass.
Ice and stir: Fill the glass with ice and stir to combine.
Top and garnish: Add ginger ale and finish with a lemon wedge.

Can You Substitute the Liquors?

The Blue Long Island Iced Tea is a bit of a kitchen sink style drink. It uses just about everything in the liquor cabinet! Luckily, you don’t have to have all of the ingredients to make a tasty BLIIT. Here are a few tips on substitutions:

Vodka, tequila, or gin: Leave one of these out and double one of the other liquors. For example, if you don’t have gin double the tequila. Try to have at least three of the four main liquors if you can. Two of the four may also work.
White rum: Use aged rum if you don’t have white. You could use dark rum: just note that the color of the drink will be darker!

The Best Ginger Ale to Use

The ginger ale makes for a deliciously fresh Blue Long Island Iced Tea. In fact, I like it better than the standard version of the drink! (Especially because I don’t often buy cola.) You can use any brand you like, but here are some favorites:

Q Ginger Ale: This is my top choice! It comes in small cans so you only have to use a little at a time.
Fever Tree Ginger Ale: Fever Tree is made with real ginger and has no artificial sweeteners.

Want more drinks with ginger ale? Go to 8 Classic Ginger Ale Cocktails.

Make It for a Crowd: Pitcher Version

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

Variations on the Long Island Iced Tea

There are a few other ways to make this classic cocktail! Here are a couple other variations to add on to the Blue Long Island:

Long Island Iced Tea The classic! Five liquors plus cola.
Tokyo Tea This green variation uses Midori for a tangy melon flavored-spin.
Long Beach Iced Tea Add cranberry juice for a fresh, tart spin.