When you hear the words “Tokyo” and “tea,” you probably imagine a steaming infusion of herbs. At the very least, you probably envision a relaxing beverage. Think again. 

A Tokyo tea drink is an extra-strength cocktail that combines six different spirits and liqueurs. What is even more surprising is the color of this drink. Bright green Midori melon liqueur turns this cocktail a neon shade of lime even though a Tokyo tea’s other ingredients are clear or golden.  

Most surprising fact of all, this drink doesn’t taste as boozy as one would imagine, considering it contains six alcoholic ingredients. If you’ve had similar cocktails like Long Island or Long Beach iced teas, you know that the many liquors in these alcoholic drinks have a miraculous way of canceling out one another’s flavors. This means that this sweet beverage goes down smoothly—perhaps a little too smoothly—so be careful when sipping on one.

There’s no better way to instruct yourself on the potency of this drink than to make one yourself and learn all of the ingredients that go in it. So, take the bottles off the shelf. It’s time to experiment.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: None

Total time: 3 minutes

Servings : 1

Ingredients

• ½ ounce gin

• ½ ounce melon liqueur (like Midori)

• ½ ounce rum 

• ½ ounce tequila

• ½ ounce triple sec

• ½ ounce vodka

• 1 ounce sweet and sour mix 

• 1 splash club soda or plain seltzer

• A lemon wheel for garnish

• Maraschino cherries for garnish

Bartender’s tip: If you don’t like the artificial taste of sweet and sour mix or if you’ve run out of it, you can make a fresh-tasting substitution by adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a dash of simple syrup to your cocktail. (Sweet and sour mix is a lemon-lime flavored syrup, so this substitution will work in any recipe that calls for the mix.)

Glassware 

• Highball, Collins, or other tall cocktail glass 

Preparation instructions 

1. Pour the gin, melon liqueur, rum, tequila, triple sec, vodka, and sweet and sour mix into a highball glass full of ice cubes. 

2. Stir the drink gently to combine the first seven ingredients.

3. Top up with the club soda. 

4. Garnish with the lemon wheel and a couple of speared cocktail cherries. 

Bartender’s tip: You may be wondering what it means to “top up” a drink. This bartending term refers to filling the remaining room in a glass with soda or juice. In this cocktail and many others, you add the liquors first and then fill the glass to the rim with a non-alcoholic mixer to make the beverage more pleasant tasting and drinkable without sacrificing the alcohol content. 

Recipe adapted from Liquor.com

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FAQ

Tokyo iced tea vs. Long Island iced tea: What’s the difference? 

There are three main differences between Long Island and Tokyo iced teas. The first is the Midori component in the Tokyo variety since the Long Island version skips this melon liqueur. The second is the soda used in each. The Tokyo tea contains flavorless soda water while a Long Island iced tea is topped up with cola. Finally, the traditional Long Island iced tea recipe doesn’t call for sweet and sour mix, but fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. Sweet and sour mix is just citrus and sugar, so this last point isn’t a major differentiator.  

What are some other Long Island iced tea variations? 

• Long Beach iced tea: This take on an “iced tea” cocktail—that is, cocktails that contain no iced tea at all—is topped up with cranberry juice instead of cola. Otherwise the ingredients are the same as those in the original Long Island version: vodka, gin, tequila, light rum, triple sec, lemon juice, and simple syrup. 

• Blue Long Island iced tea: This version of the drink contains blue curaçao instead of triple sec. Despite curaçao’s color, it, like triple sec, is a citrus liqueur, so this substitution doesn’t alter the flavor profile much. Finally, to preserve the blue hue of the drink, top this version of the cocktail up with ginger ale instead of cola, which is much lighter in color and allows the curaçao to shine through. 

• Miami iced tea: This drink substitutes the tequila for peach schnapps and cola for lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7-Up. We doubt you’ll miss the tequila because “tea” cocktails don’t taste like any specific liquor at all, even if you’re a tequila fan. The finished cocktail is a dreamy sunset pink—very Miami. For an even stronger summer drink, leave the tequila in. It’s like a margarita meets its fruitier counterpart.

• Hawaiian iced tea: This tropical version of a Long Island iced tea contains pineapple juice instead of cola. The rest of the ingredients remain the same as an original Long Island cocktail recipe. The resulting drink has a caramel color similar to that of the original, despite the fruity substitution. ‍

• Texas tea: Everything’s bigger in Texas, including iced tea cocktails. The only difference between this variety and the original Long Island iced tea is more liquor. In this preparation, you add in one-half shot of bourbon (in addition to all of the other alcohols).

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Can you use spiced rum like Captain Morgan in Tokyo tea?

Yes, you can substitute the white rum in the recipe given above for Captain Morgan. In fact, the brand recommends it. If you want to follow the Captain’s recipe, also swap out the club soda for a lemon-lime variety. 

Want to try a Tokyo tea for yourself? Gopuff is here to pick up all of the ingredients you’ll need. You can order everything in seconds and have it at your door in a matter of minutes. Start hydrating because you don’t want a hangover in the morning.