PHLGuide
The Best Long Island Iced Teas In Philly
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
A Long Island Iced Tea is a little sweet, a little citrusy, and the same shade of amber as Gritty’s belly. A mix of vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, sour mix, and cola, it has enough spirits in it to make most cocktails seem lazy. We’ve had beautifully blended LIT’s, and others so harsh it feels like it’s choking us and calling us wimps. While the drink gets a bad rep, they’re quintessential to Philly’s massive dive bar scene. And since they are most certainly not equal, you should know where to get the best ones.
The Long Islands
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
This isn’t your average, 90% bitter, regret-inducing Long Island Iced Tea. At this Queen Village spot, they make a really smooth version with quality Japanese vodka, rum, gin, shochu, and yuzu curaçao, which gives it a tangy, orange-y finish. If we had the endurance, we’d drink this multiple times a week.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
True story: We saw a guy take a 30-minute nap at Oscar’s in Center City, wake up, and then order one of these. The glass is pretty large, it's heavy on the triple sec, and it's delicious. It’s the perfect reward after waking up from a face-planting nap at a beer-soaked bar.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
At Meetinghouse in Old Richmond, they have their Long Islands on tap, which means they sell a lot. But you won't get the usual bottle-shaking, long-pouring magic show that comes with ordering one here. What you will get is a tall, chilly glass that’s perfectly balanced, subtly carbonated, and refreshingly lemony.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
This is one of those $10 harmonious Long Islands that makes you question if there’s actually liquor in it. If you’re like us, you’ll sip one at this Kensington bar while a guy walks in looking for Bruce Lee art. And once you’ve had two or three, you’ll be drunkenly asking the poster of the naked lady above the bar where she got her shirt.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
If we were Long Island Iced Tea sommeliers, we would ramble about the Coca-Cola notes really jumping out in this one. The Spring Garden bar makes a super fizzy version thanks to the soda, but it’s not overly sweet. The glow-in-the-dark painted space also has Bruce Lee art on the wall—hopefully, this helps that guy from Atlantis.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Vous in Center City is where anyone nearby heads to watch a game, order a plate of wings, and ignore them for the TV. They flinch when they have a sip of this sweet-and-sour cocktail, though. It’s a shock to your palate that reminds you the rest of the world exists, including those wings.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
This throwback Fishtown bar has lots of Eagles green and karaoke nights. So there’s only one drink to order when you’re in a celebratory or belt-your-heart-out kind of mood. And it’s this half-iced tea, totally gin-forward beauty.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
There’s a clear structure to Long Islands at most places that does not apply at Dirty Franks. At other places, all of the liquor and intrusive thoughts lie at the bottom while the citrusy layers roam at the top. But they’re mixed well at this Washington Square West bar, so any pickup line you blurt out has nothing to do with the drink.
