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The Long Island iced tea—that liver-punishing favorite hit with nearly every clear spirit under the sun—doesn't have an especially illustrious history: born during a Long Island bartender contest in 1972, the bottles-flying mix of vodka, gin, tequila, white rum, triple sec and a splash of Coca-Cola has spent much of its lifespan comfortably nestled in the echelon of sloppy frat parties and lowbrow chain restaurants. But now New York bars and restaurants are pouring well-balanced refreshers on the onetime laughingstock cocktail. Here's where to get a good Long Island iced tea in NYC—for real.
Holiday Cocktail Lounge: Bartender Danny Neff serves his small-but-mighty soda-gun version ($6) with the usual accoutrements but upgrades Coke with breakfast-tea–infused vodka and employs a house oleo saccharum (a syrup made from lemon, orange and grapefruit peels) in place of the traditional triple sec.
Oleanders: Master barman Dale DeGroff puts forth a characteristically faithful version using Beefeater gin, Cimarrón Blanco tequila, El Dorado rum and Mell vodka with Combier, lemon juice and Coke for color ($14).
Fuku: A sweet Dr Pepper topper stands in for the customary Coca-Cola in David Chang’s riff on the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cocktail ($10).
Dirt Candy: Amanda Cohen's veg-focused Lower East Sider serves a take on the Long Island ($12), with as much sass as you'd expect from the drink: In place of a description, the menu simply says "Enough said." Enough said, indeed.