Name: Blue Long Island Iced Tea Drink Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 ounce vodka; 1/2 ounce gin; 1/2 ounce light rum; 1/2 ounce tequila; 1 ounce Blue Curacao liqueur; 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice; Fill with ginger beer

Jump to Recipe

You can just imagine how the Blue Long Island Iced Tea drink recipe came to be. Once upon a time, it must have occurred to someone that the Long Island Iced Tea was nearly perfect. Except for one thing: it wasn’t blue.

The Blue Long Island Iced Tea doesn’t have the Triple Sec from the Long Island Iced Tea. Instead, it has blue curacao. And instead of cola, it has ginger ale.

Tasting Notes

On first sip, you’re greeted by carbonation and a burst of citrus from the fresh lemon juice and sweet orange Blue Curaçao, which perfectly complements the warm spice of the ginger beer and herb notes from the gin. As you drink, the woody notes of the tequila and the smoothness of the light rum come to the forefront. The ginger beer adds a refreshing effervescence.

Key Ingredients & Their Role

This drink has a long ingredients list, doesn’t it? Let’s take a look at the role each one plays, and what you could substitute for them.

Blue Curaçao Liqueur

At the heart of this cocktail is the Blue Curaçao liqueur. It’s bright blue with a strong orange flavor. You could use a different orange liqueur and the taste would be very similar, but you’d lose the blue coloring. Unless you wanted to cheat and add a drop or two of food coloring!

Lemon Juice

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice gives the drink a bright, tangy note that balances the sweetness of the Blue Curaçao and the ginger beer. You can substitute lime or even grapefruit, orange or pineapple. It will change the flavor a little, but it’s sure to be delicious.

Ginger Beer

The ginger beer adds nose-tickling bubbles and a subtle spicy-sweet note that complements the other flavors. The carbonation helps to lighten the overall texture of the cocktail, making it more refreshing and easy to sip.

Spirits

Vodka, gin, light rum, and tequila each contribute their unique character, with the vodka and gin adding herbal and botanical notes, the light rum providing a smooth, mellow caramel base, and the tequila adding a hint of agave sweetness.

That said, if you don’t have all of them on hand, or you just don’t like one or more of these liquors, you can substitute by doubling up on the ones you do have. It’s actually quite good with just rum!

Serving Suggestions

The Blue Long Island Iced Tea is a great summertime cocktail, perfect for sipping by the poolside. But it’s also perfect for days when you just wish it was summer and you’re tired of the heavier flavors of winter.

Try the Blue Long Island with dishes that have a salty-sweet element. Grilled meats, roasted vegetables, and even a burger are all perfect with this drink.

Similar Cocktails to Explore

If you’re a fan of the Blue Long Island Iced Tea, there are several other vibrant and flavorful cocktails that you might enjoy exploring:

The Blue Hawaiian features a blend of rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and Blue Curaçao. It’s a creamy, fruity, and gorgeous drink.
The Blue Lagoon is a made with vodka, Blue Curaçao, and lemon-lime soda,.
The Blue Margarita is a vibrant twist on the classic margarita. You just swap out the triple sec for Blue Curaçao.

Blue Long Island Iced Tea Drink Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

The Blue Long Island is similar to a Long Island Iced Tea, but it features Blue Curacao and ginger ale instead of cola. This gives it a nice orange flavor that's really enjoyable.