FOOD NEWS
The Distinction Between Long Island Iced Tea And Tokyo Tea
BY AUTUMN SWIERS
The Long Island Iced Tea is a cocktail of vodka, rum, tequila, triple sec, gin, sweet and sour mix, and cola, a highly alcoholic combo that surprisingly tastes like iced tea.
This cocktail has an international cousin in Tokyo Tea, which substitutes lemon-lime soda for cola and adds neon green Japanese melon liqueur.
The melon liqueur, which has a slightly citrusy sweet-tartness, makes the drink refreshing. A brand of muskmelon liqueur called Midori (Japanese for "green") is the classic choice.
Like most cocktails, Tokyo Tea is easy to customize. DeKuyper melon schnapps are an easy-to-find replacement for the liqueur, and some recipes use club soda instead of lemon-lime.
To make a Tokyo Tea, use the same ingredients and measurements as for a Long Island Iced Tea, plus a ½-ounce of melon liqueur and club or lemon-lemon soda instead of cola.
Everything but the soda is stirred in a glass over ice, then soda is poured on top. You can also shake all the ingredients but the soda with ice, then top the drink with soda.
Tokyo Teas are typically served in a Collins or Highball glass. Since it's pretty strong at 16% AVB, you can also serve the drink in smaller rocks glasses to drink more slowly.
Great additions to Tokyo Tea include homemade sweet and sour mix or Korean honey-yuzu preserves. Garnish with lemon and a Luxardo cherry or pineapple and mandarin oranges.