P.J. Whelihan's
Cherry Hill, NJ
Dec., 2013

Meh.

If it wasn't a premix, they fooled me.

Not sure it contained alcohol, either.

Stick with the pot stickers and have a soda.

Nocturne Nightclub

November, 2013

This is Brian.

Brian is insane.

However, I will attend any party Brian is bartending at.

Why? Well, within that silver mixing cup is one of the tastiest LIITs you're likely to come across, even if it doesn't quite meet the criteria. You see, Brian mixes his LIITs without the gin, and he puts in some orange juice. I seem to fall for the OJ in the IT every time. But no gin is a really good idea! (Note that there are only FOUR bottles in the photo. No gin.)

Do not dismay! This doesn't mean that it's a weaker drink, especially after Brian puts his secret spin on it. I'll tell you his secret, because I'm fairly sure he can't kill me. (After our first round, my friend and I each choked him out, but that's another story for a different blog.) He asks you what your favorite liquor is in the drink, and then he pours that down the straw so it slaps you in the face with your first sip! Fun!!

Then there were the free shots that didn't diminish the review in ANY way, so many thumbs up for Brian's Long Island Iced Teas, although I have no idea where he'll be serving them next!

Silk City

July 2013
Philadelphia, PA

Much more than expected on a number of fronts.

As you can see from the list of draft beers, they are reasonably priced. Not outrageous. So when I ordered my LIIT at the bar, I didn't expect just one dollar change from the ten and five dollar bills in my pocket!

I think this might be the first $14 drink I've ever had. Needless to say, I wasn't going to order a second one. So I sat at the bar and enjoyed it...it had a good flavor. A nice blend; nothing spiking out above anything else. Went down easy. I would have considered a second one, had it not involved loan paperwork. So I went out to the dance floor for a while.

Interestingly, two and a half hours after my drink, when I decided to leave, I still felt some of the residual effects of it! It was like a time-release LIIT -- a long, slow burn. I have no idea how that could be, but I plan to go back and try it out again!

You know, for the sake of science.

You have to be able to replicate your results for validity.

It's important!

Shut up!

TGIFriday's, Hamilton, NJ

Well, as I've previously mentioned, chain restaurants are not known for the quality of their drinks.
Or food.
Or service.
But I digress.

So I wasn't expecting much from the LIIT at TGIFriday's, and I wasn't disappointed. They didn't use a premix, I'll give them that much. But it's funny how little alcohol can be in a drink that is supposed to have five shots in it. Two LIITs to get a light buzz? I guess at the happy hour price of $5, it's to be expected, but it's still disappointing. The taste was nice, though; easy to drink. I tried the Hawaiian version, too. Eh. For all of the raspberry it was supposed to contain, it wasn't really flavorful. And THAT one wasn't on the happy hour price list!
Note: The company at the table was OUTSTANDING. Including that striped arm that snuck into the photo...

I guess I should stay away from chains, already!!

CHOW 284

October, 2011

Feasterville, PA

The committee has reformed!

It's been a long time since last posting, as one of the founding members of the LITT Committee relocated. There was a reunion over the summer at South of the Border, but as I seem to have forgotten to post about their LIIT, I assume it was forgettable.

So this would have been a posting about Johnny Apple's offerings in the bar department, but when the committee got there, the lights were off and no one was home! We turned to the trusty Droid Thunderbolt and added restaurants to the map, and ended up at Chow 284.

Some members voiced reservations about the place since there were only four cars in the parking lot, but it was still early, so we went in. The place was half bar, and the bar was front and center. Not a bad sign.

We sat at the bar and Josh, the bartender, came up and introduced himself. We asked how his LIIT was and he claimed to make a good one, and also threw in that he worked well under extreme scrutiny. (....hmmm....) Orders were placed. Food, too.

Ahh, food. Best crabcakes I've had in ten years. Sweet potato fries with raspberry dipping sauce. A pickle for good measure. Outstanding! But I digress...

Josh delivered the tall, amber concoction. There was a good quantity of ice, but not so much that you got the idea they were trying to save money on alcohol. It was well-mixed, thank goodness. There's nothing worse than plunging your straw into the drink you've been anticipating only to be punched in the face with whatever alcohol is living at that particular depth and nothing else. Yes, bartenders, that's called a shot with a straw in it.

It was obviously strong, but didn't have the shiver factor of being strong without technique. Like a guy with big arms who has no need to roll up his sleeves, the strength was there without showing it off. It was easy to drink and enjoyable. It was remarkably less sweet than most other LIITs, especially the premixes. Hard to decide on that count; obviously iced tea should be sweet, but with all the "lemonades" we have come across, was less sweet a good or bad thing? Honestly, I still don't know. There was also a...tingly? sense about this LIIT, a completely new sensation, and it was intriguing. Have to get to the bottom of that.

All in all, this LIIT was a departure from many of the others, almost a completely different animal altogether. Due to other commitments, we could not stay to enjoy a second one and answer the lingering questions about sweetness and tingle, so a return trip is most likely in order. Look for an update in the near future!

Taste: TBD

Throwdownability: 8

Kick: 7

Quantity: 9

<---- This is Josh, looking confident. (Members of the LIIT Committee must remain anonymous and have been removed from this photo for their own protection.)

Applebee's Rewind

October, 2011

CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

There's not much to say about this LIIT, a chain-restaurant premix as usual, but there is scandal afoot and it needs to be addressed!

Having ordered a(n) LIIT, the waitress asked if I wanted the MONDO size. I literally had to ask her to repeat herself. Yes, she said mondo! Okaaaaaay, we'll do the mondo size. It costs more, of course. It must be huuuuuge.

Well the mondo comes out in a glass that I believe Friendly's uses for their ice-cream sundaes. Big round bowl on a pedestal. Very impressive, lots of booze, right? Well, after the LIIT was gone, an experiment was put into play. A regular-size glass of water was on the table, the same size glass a "non-mondo" LIIT would have come in. Pour the water into the mondo glass and...

The mondo glass held a little more than HALF of what the regular glass did!! Perhaps because it was seven inches thick and can be used to fry ants a mile away.

I think it boils down to this: I didn't ask what mondo meant. I simply assumed, from all other times I've ever heard the word mondo used (might be four by now), that it meant really big. I now know it's an anagram!

Maybe

Order the

Normal

Drink

Option

So if you ever meet a guy and he claims "mondo" status...buyer beware.

Longhorn Steak House

March, 2009
Hamilton, NJ

Obviously you don't expect much of the chain restaurants and their bars, and previous experiences have upheld this low expectation, if such expectations can be upheld. Maybe you downhold low expectations? Regardless, Longhorn had something new to offer.

The "top shelf" Long Island iced tea.

Yes, for only fifty cents more, we could experience the upper echelon of the LIIT. Had to ask, what's the difference? Our waitress told us that the regular LIIT was made with a mix, but the top shelf one was made with premium alcohols mixed by hand. Well, now you had the attention of the committee at large! Bring those immediately and spill them everywhere!!

It was at this time that a discussion of the necessity of the foam at the top of the glass ensued. Perhaps a new rating category? We shall see.

So the sipping of the TSLIIT began. Quite nice was the overall impression! Very smooth. A superior beverage by all accounts...except...where's the signature kick? Food came, drinks emptied...nothing. So we decided to get a second round, some sticking with top shelf, some trying the lower shelf for comparison's sake. (Comparison: Bottom shelf very similar to other chains' lemony attempts.) Two LIITs down, no one is feeling it.

So the quality was there, but what was the point? If you're just looking for a tasty drink, enjoy a Pepsi or a Shirley Temple. But that's not why the LIIT was invented. We know what we're looking for.

Taste: 9
Throwdownability: 9
Kick: 6
Quantity: Average