Mocktail Long Island Iced Tea
Five non-alcoholic spirits, real cold-brewed black tea, lemon, and cola - the multi-spirit classic rebuilt to drink like the original without the next-day regret. The black tea is the structural ingredient most home recipes skip.
The mojito is one of the few classics where the alcohol was always playing a supporting role. Mint, lime, sugar, and bubbles do the heavy lifting; the rum just rounds them out. Pull the rum and you can still build a drink that tastes like itself.
Two non-negotiables: real spearmint and crushed ice. Bottled lime, dried mint, or a glass full of cubes all turn this into mint-flavored water by sip three.
Why this works
Black tea provides the tannic body that 5 spirits used to carry.
8 ingredients
Mint, sugar, lime, NA rum, soda. All pantry-friendly.
Under 150 cal
145 calories per tall pour with 13g sugar.
Tested 19 times
Tuned across 19 batches to fix the most common home-bar failures.
The Method
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01
Brew the tea.
Steep 1 black tea bag in 4 oz boiling water for 5 minutes. Chill. Skip this step and the drink falls apart.
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02
Fill the glass.
Fill a tall Collins glass to the rim with ice.
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03
Shake the spirits.
Add 1 oz cold black tea, 0.5 oz each NA gin, NA white rum, NA tequila, NA orange liqueur, 1 oz fresh lemon, and 0.75 oz simple syrup to a shaker. Shake hard for 10 seconds.
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04
Strain and cap with cola.
Strain into the Collins over fresh ice. Top with 1.5 oz chilled cola poured down a bar spoon so it sits on top. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Pro Tips From Laura
- Cold-brewed black tea is the structural ingredient. NA spirits all lack tannin; the tea fills that gap. Skip the tea and the drink tastes thin.
- Add a single sprig of fresh thyme during the tea steep. The herbal note covers the small flavor gap where NA gin lives.
- For a no-NA-spirits version: use 2 oz cold-brewed black tea, 0.5 oz cold-brewed Earl Grey (for the gin-like botanical), 1 oz lemon, 0.75 oz simple, top with cola.
- Mexican Coke (made with cane sugar) gives cleaner sweetness than HFCS Coke and pairs better with the citrus.
Common Questions
Is this drink really 'non-alcoholic' with five NA spirits?
Yes. The NA spirits used here are all under 0.5% ABV. Combined, the finished drink is well under the FDA threshold for non-alcoholic beverages.
Can I skip the black tea?
Not if you want it to taste like the original. The tea provides the tannic mouthfeel that NA spirits do not have.
What if I only have 2 of the NA spirits?
Use 1 oz total of whatever NA spirits you have and bump the cold tea to 1.5 oz. Still works.
Why pour the cola last and on a spoon?
It floats on top and gives the layered iced-tea color the drink is named for. Stirring it in kills the visual.