Give Your Long Island Iced Tea A Hot Toddy-Inspired Upgrade

"I wish this Long Island Iced Tea was cozier," said no one ever. Although, if you've ever yearned for a stronger hot toddy to offset chilly weather, then maybe a "cozy-fied" Long Island is just the bevvy you've been imagining. The unpretentious, "what you see is what you get" prowess of the Long Island Iced Tea has widely drawn as much humble adulation as sneering scorn from the mixology world. But, its straightforward foundation is what makes this drink the ideal candidate for an inventive facelift. The cocktail's basic formula combines four types of liquor, plus some triple sec, lemon juice, and cola. When that punchy Long Island meets a classic hot toddy, the result is a warming, high-ABV sipper that feels oh-so-right. 

A traditional hot toddy floats whiskey, lemon juice, and honey in a mug of hot water — simple yet effective, and designed to warm the body. However, this boozy reimagination skips the whiskey, instead adding pretty much every other base liquor into the mix. Feel free to use our simple and strong Long Island Iced Tea recipe as a jumping-off point. To make a classic Long Island, per our recipe, a ½-ounce pour (each) of vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, triple sec, honey, and lemon juice get wet-shaken, strained into an ice-filled glass, and filled to the brim with cola. Instead, to craft a toddy-inspired Long Island Tea, home bartenders can forego the shaker and ice, simply combining all of the ingredients (except the cola) directly in a serving glass, then topping with boiling water.

Long Islands famously (or infamously) tote a higher alcohol level than most cocktails, clocking in at upwards of 22% and shaking out to nearly four ounces of liquor per less than two ounces of mixer, depending on your pour. Since this steamier version of the drink replaces cola with regular water, it might be worth amping up the mixers to make sure this punchy sipper stays palatable. You could take a cue from the classic hot toddy by stirring extra honey and lemon into the mug. A word to the wise: The most impactful Long Island Iced Tea upgrade is to stick with fresh lemon juice and skip the sour mix. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, this warmed-up Long Island Tea makes a great candidate for a luscious shot of flavored simple syrup — like Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla Bean Syrup. For even more depth of flavor, you could also add a black tea bag into the mug; it'll steep as it sits in the hot water, neutralizing the liquor with bittersweet roundness. 

Serve the Long Island Tea in a tempered pint glass (to avoid thermal shock and subsequent cracking) or a cozy clay mug. For an extra aesthetically-pleasing and flavorful presentation, garnish your cocktail with lemon wheels. To make the drink feel fancier, a blood orange wheel makes for a fabulous excuse to showcase seasonal winter produce during colder months.