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!!

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

Plumstead Grill

January, 2009
Cream Ridge, NJ

I've thought long and hard about how a town would have come to be called Cream Ridge. It stands to reason that some cream and a ridge would be involved, but therein lies the problem. Oak Ridge I can see. That would be a ridge of land, maybe the top of a small hill, where one would find some oak trees. Oom papa mau-mau. Creamtown would work -- the town that was known for making some of the best cream in...New Jersey. (?) But Cream Ridge? A ridge of land where, what, the cream stream flows through? Hardly likely. But intriguing...really, what would be the downside of a stream of heavy cream running through your back yard? Large pants, I guess. But I digress.

After driving and driving and driving through what seemed to be turning into the pine barrens of NJ, we arrived at -- fittingly -- a giant log cabin. Inside the woodsy theme continued as we were led around the very large, centrally-located bar (good sign). We immediately ordered out LIITs and got to work.

Upon first sipping looks were exchanged. This was a strong one. Not as sweet a taste as others by far, but also not a fluffy drink. More of a call-your-best-friend-to-check-in type of drink, with a long-term kick to it. "Would you like another?" said the waiter. Uh, no, thanks. With a proper LIIT, you only need one. (You want three, but you only need one.)

And they had mozzarella sticks, so life was good. But that's a whole different committee.

Taste: 7
Throwdownability: 7
Kick: 8
Quantity: average

Charlie Brown's of Hamilton, NJ

October 3, 2008
5:00ish pm
Charlie Brown's
Hamilton, NJ

The Long Island Iced Teas came quickly, and looked about the same as the ones we had sampled at TGI Friday's and Chili's...a light amber color, fading toward the top of the ice-packed glass. Expectations sank. One sip, however, told us that this LIIT was not kidding around. The flavor was similar to the lemony teas we previously tried, but it kicked on the way down! It was a good amount of kick, though. Enough to let you know it was serious, but not enough to give you that hard-alcohol shiver. Let's just say that a refill was not required to get the job done!

There was something missing in the tea taste of the drink. Again, lemony, and not tea-sweet. Good, but not perfect. The search for the LIIT that throws down like a Snapple but kicks like a mule continues...but not at Killarney's.

taste: 7
throwdownability: 7
kick: 9
quantity: average

History of the LIIT Committee

Summer, 2008
Hamilton, NJ

On a trip out to Chili's for dinner, I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, and my companion asked, "What's that?"

WHAT'S THAT?? Only the greatest mixed drink ever created. More alcohol than you should be able to pack into one glass, yet it tastes like iced tea! That is, if it is done correctly...

My first experience with the LIIT came when I found myself in the same position. I didn't know what to order, and the friend I was out with suggested a Long Island Iced Tea. Okay! Well, it tasted great, just like iced tea, and so I had one...two...three as I sat at the bar, where I felt just fine. Until I got off of the barstool and found that I couldn't stand! Now that's my kind of drink.


Little did I realize what a good bartender I had met that night. Since then, I have been in search of the perfect Long Island Iced Tea. And once I had introduced this drink to my friend at dinner, I felt a renewed sense of purpose in my quest, mainly because the drinks we got that night were disappointing. They were lemony, so lemony that maybe Chili's can claim to have invented the Long Island Lemonade (That doesn't already exist, does it?). They were also not particularly strong, as we each managed to have two.

I tried to explain that this was not quite what LIITs were supposed to taste like, and the LIIT Committee was formed. In search of the perfect drink, we will spare no expense (we may spare a few), we will travel any distance (no we won't), and go to any restaurant (that serves fried food)! Wait, that's a lie. There was that one windowless place that we walked right out of in an effort to keep our pictures off of the sides of milk cartons...

Anyhow, a subsequent trip to the TGI Friday's in Hamilton yielded much the same lemony results. Slightly less lemony, I suppose, but not more iced tea-ey, and not much stronger.

The quest goes on...