The origins of the Long Island Iced Tea, that deceptively potent cocktail that bears no relation to actual tea, have been shrouded in conflicting stories and bar lore for decades. This infamous drink, known for its powerful punch and surprisingly smooth taste, has become a staple in bars worldwide, but its creator’s identity remains a fascinating cocktail mystery.
The Competing Origin Stories
Two primary claims to the Long Island Iced Tea’s invention exist, separated by both geography and decades. The first and most widely accepted story traces back to the Oak Beach Inn (OBI) in Hampton Bays, New York, in the 1970s. Robert “Rosebud” Butt, a bartender working at the establishment, allegedly created the cocktail during a competition that challenged mixologists to craft a new drink using Triple Sec.
Butt’s creation combined vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and Triple Sec with a splash of cola for color – a concoction that looked remarkably like iced tea but packed an alcoholic wallop that could floor the unsuspecting drinker. The drink’s name paid homage to its birthplace on Long Island, and its popularity quickly spread throughout the region’s bars.
The Prohibition Era Alternative
The second origin story takes us back much further to the Prohibition era of the 1920s. According to this version, a bootlegger named “Old Man Bishop” from Long Island, Tennessee (not New York) created an early version of the drink. His son, Ransom Bishop, reportedly refined the recipe in the 1940s, adding maple syrup instead of cola and lemon for citrus notes.
This Tennessee tale presents a significantly different drink profile, though the core concept of multiple spirits combined in a tea-like appearance remains consistent. By 2025, beverage historians are still debating which story holds more truth, though the New York version has gained wider acceptance in cocktail circles.
Why the Long Island Iced Tea Endures
What makes this drink’s history particularly interesting isn’t just the competing origin stories, but its remarkable staying power. Most cocktails with five different spirits would taste like a jumbled mess, yet the Long Island Iced Tea somehow works. The cola provides just enough sweetness to mask the heavy alcohol content, creating what many consider the perfect party drink.
The cocktail has maintained its popularity for decades because it delivers exactly what many bar patrons seek – maximum alcoholic impact with minimum alcoholic taste. It’s a drink that feels deceptively refreshing while containing enough spirits to constitute several separate cocktails.
The Cultural Impact
The Long Island Iced Tea has transcended its status as merely a cocktail to become a cultural touchstone. It represents a certain carefree, perhaps reckless approach to drinking that resonates with many. When someone orders a Long Island Iced Tea, bartenders know exactly what that customer is seeking – not a sophisticated tasting experience, but rather an efficient path to inebriation.
Whether created by Rosebud Butt in 1970s New York or by the Bishop family in Prohibition-era Tennessee, the Long Island Iced Tea represents American ingenuity in the spirits world – combining unlikely ingredients to create something greater than the sum of its parts.
