Kentucky Iced Tea recipe
The Long Island Iced Tea is a boozaific cocktail that also tastes great. It’ll mess you up good, but it’s tasty.
By Kris Barton · Updated - 2 mins total
- 6 ingredients
- Highball glass
So, if you’re a fan of a Long Island Iced Tea, this is something you’ve gotta try.
What Ingredients do you need to make a Kentucky Iced Tea?
White Rum
All Rum is made from fermenting and then distilling sugar cane molasses or sugar cane juice, but White Rum has an ageing process that makes the liquor clear.
Rum is usually aged, and the container it’s aged in has a big say in its colour.
In bourbon or other wooden casks, the rum turns a dark brown colour, but in stainless steel tanks it stays colourless. Rum that’s been aged in wood can also be filtered to take the colour out.
White Rum is clear because it’s aged in stainless steel, or filtered after ageing.
Pretty cool, huh?
Vodka
We compared 12 different brands of Vodka and determined that Smirnoff was the overall best option. Given the current climate with Russia, that may seem like a questionable choice, but Smirnoff isn’t made in Russia, it’s made all over the world.
It actually has a history of Russian persecution and the creators were forced to flee Russia.
Bourbon
Bourbon is a type of Whiskey. It was created in America and is a barrel-aged distilled liquor that’s made primarily from corn.
The name Bourbon originates from the French Bourbon Dynasty, but how this type of American whiskey got that name is up for debate.
Major contenders include:
- Bourbon Street in New Orleans
- Bourbon County in Kentucky
…with the latter the reason why Bourbon is so closely connected to Kentucky.
Interestingly, by law, Bourbon sold in the US must be produced in the US, be made from at least 51% corn, and stored in a container of charred oak.
For Bourbon, we recommend:
What Equipment do you need to make a Kentucky Iced Tea?
Highball Glass
Highball Glasses are the most common glasses in the cocktail world. You can put most cocktails in there from the Long Island Iced Tea to a Bay Breeze.
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Recipe card
Kentucky Iced Tea
- Prep
- 1 min
- Making
- 1 min
- Total
- 2 mins
- Serves
- 1
- Glass
- Highball glass
Ingredients
Makes 1 drink.
Method
- Add ice, white rum, vodka, bourbon, cola, and lemon juice to a highball glass.
- Gently stir.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Want more like this? Browse our full collection of modern cocktails.
Kentucky Iced Tea FAQs
What’s the difference between a Kentucky Iced Tea and a Long Island Iced Tea?
A Kentucky Iced Tea swaps the Long Island Iced Tea’s tequila, gin and Cointreau for bourbon, and uses lemon juice instead of lime. If you like a Long Island, you’ve got to try it.
What Ingredients do you need to make a Kentucky Iced Tea?
What Equipment do you need to make a Kentucky Iced Tea?
You’ll need a highball glass.
What alcohol is in a Kentucky Iced Tea?
A Kentucky Iced Tea contains 20ml / 0.7oz white rum, 20ml / 0.7oz vodka and 20ml / 0.7oz bourbon.
Is a Kentucky Iced Tea shaken or stirred?
A Kentucky Iced Tea is stirred, not shaken. It’s made straight in a highball glass: add the ingredients over ice and stir.
What glass is a Kentucky Iced Tea served in?
Serve a Kentucky Iced Tea in a highball glass.
How do you garnish a Kentucky Iced Tea?
Garnish a Kentucky Iced Tea with a slice of lemon.
How do I make a Kentucky Iced Tea for a group?
The recipe makes one drink. Multiply every measure by the number of drinks you want: for 4, you’d need 80ml white rum, 80ml vodka, 80ml bourbon, 400ml cola and 120ml lemon juice.
