This Blue Long Island Iced Tea is a refreshing, fruity cocktail with the perfect blend of tangy and sweet. Orange, pineapple, and coconut flavors combine with blue curacao, rum, and vodka for a stunning blue tropical drink with a decided kick. It makes the perfect addition to summer parties and backyard BBQs.
The first time I had this cocktail was during a vacation with my husband in Grand Cayman. After a day of diving, hitting up the beach bar for a few tropical drinks was in order. They had many of my island favorites like Pina Coladas, Mudslides, and Rum Punches, but the color of this particular cocktail drew me in.
Table of contents
They called it a Blue Iguana, after an endangered type of lizard found on the island, but it is even closer to a Long Island Iced Tea. It's one of those cocktails that, even though it tastes fruity and innocent, packs a real punch! I've tried recreating it here in a lighter more tropical take of the classic. The typical white liquors of the Long Island Iced Tea combine with curacao and pineapple juice for the perfect summer sipper.
This fruity, blue version of Long Island Iced Tea has a refreshing orange flavor with a hint of coconut and the sweet flavor of pineapple in lieu of the standard lemon. I also kept it fresher by balancing the curacao's bitter orange flavor with the sweet pineapple juice, eliminating the need for sweet and sour mix.
Why is it called Blue Long Island Iced Tea?
The traditional Long Island Iced Tea was invented by a Long Island bartender around 1972. The drink is composed of 5 liquors mixed with cola, giving it a brown color similar to iced tea, hence the name. In this recipe, the drink takes on a blue (OK closer to green) hue from swapping out triple sec for blue curacao, which needless to say, lends it the blue color and emphasizes the orange flavor.
Variations
- Love effervescence? Top it with lemon-lime soda in place of the usual cola or try something like champagne or Prosecco.
- For a more classic Long Island, add in 1 oz of tequila.
- Change it up to a Blue Russian, similar to a creamcicle only blue, with a combination of blue curacao, vodka, and cream.
- Make it a Blue Monday, a little lighter on the alcohol than this Blue Long Island Iced Tea, with blue curacao, vodka, and triple sec.
- Give it more of the tradtional lemon taste of a Long Island Iced Tea by using lemon vodka.
How to Make
- Pour pineapple juice into pitcher or cocktail shaker.
- Add orange juice or, for a stronger cocktail, try triple sec.
- Pour in a light rum.
- Add vodka or replace with lemon vodka.
- Add coconut rum or, if you don't like the flavor of coconut, try the more traditional tequila.
- Top with blue curacao.
Stir well. Fill two glasses with ice and divide the mixture between glasses. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple, a slice of orange, and a couple of cherries.
This Blue Long Island cocktail is the ideal sipper for summertime but it tastes equally delicious in the dead of winter when you're wishing you were on some tropical island. Its wonderfully refreshing citrusy flavor, its hint of coconut, along with its blue color, will always make it a popular party addition. Top it with fresh garnishes and maybe a little umbrella and chill. Cheers!
More Tropical Cocktails
Blue Curacao Cocktail - is another stunning blue cocktail with curacao, rum, coconut, lime juice, and sparkling water.
Island Breeze - is a rife on a Sea Breeze substituting blood orange for grapefruit juice along with the traditional vodka and Cointreau.
Mango Colada - goes even more tropical with the addition of mango to the coconut, pineapple juice, and rum.
Mermaid Water Drink - is a tasty rum cocktail with a beautiful aqua color.
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Ingredients
- 1 oz. light rum
- 1 oz. coconut rum
- 1 oz. vodka or lemon vodka
- 2 oz. orange juice
- 1 oz. blue curacao
- 6 oz. pineapple juice
Instructions
- Combine all of the above ingredients then pour over ice.
- Garnish glass with a fresh wedge of pineapple, a slice of orange and several cherries.
Notes
- Love effervescence? Top it with lemon-lime soda in place of the usual cola or try something like champagne or Prosecco. It will also make the drink a little lighter.
- Change it up to a Blue Russian, similar to a creamcicle only blue, with a combination of blue curacao, vodka, and cream.
- Make it a Blue Monday, a little lighter on the alcohol than this Blue Long Island Iced Tea, with blue curacao, vodka, and triple sec.
- Give it more of the traditional lemon taste of a Long Island Iced Tea by using lemon vodka.
Nutrition
This post has been updated and was first published on September 17, 2013.
It's technically not a blue long Island. But definitely is something tropical. Long Island has vodka, gin,rum,tequila and optional of coke and cognac. But I make mines either way and it's still good
It is technically more of a Blue Iguana but no matter what it's called it sure is good. lol
While this looks delicious, it doesn't really fit the bill to be considered a Long Island iced tea with 8oz of fruit juice!! Looks like a great Blue Iguana, delicious and very tropical!
It definitely is what the islanders call a Blue Iguana and I agree that it isn't quite as alcoholic as a Long Island Iced Tea, maybe a cross between the two. In any case, I certainly agree with you that's it's delicious and it does have a surprising punch to it.