Big Batch Long Island Ice Tea

Big Batch Long Island Ice Tea

Thought to be created by Robert Butt at the Oak Beach Inn in Babylon, N.Y., in the early ’70s, Long Island Iced Tea became a staple at bars all over North America well into the ’90s. Frowned upon by cocktail enthusiasts, it was usually slapped together with low-end spirits and sour mix. Our balanced version, batched for a crowd, reveals the drink’s delicious potential.

Ingredients
3 oz vodka
3 oz gin
3 oz white rum
3 oz 100 per cent agave blanco tequila
3 oz Cointreau
4 1/2 oz strained fresh lemon juice
3 oz Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
12 oz Coke, chilled
Small or half lemon wheels to garnish

Directions:
Combine vodka, gin, rum, tequila, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup in a 4-cup (1-L) glass jar or bottle. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

To make 2 drinks at a time, pour 5 1/2 oz of mix into a cocktail shaker. Fill 3/4 full with ice. Shake until ice-cold, about 12 seconds. Strain into 2 chilled 8-oz glasses filled with ice, dividing evenly. Top each with 1 1/2 oz Coke. Lightly stir and garnish with lemon wheels. Serve immediately. Makes 8 drinks

Rocky Road Cola Cake Bars

ROCKY ROAD COLA CAKE BARS
Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
1 cup coca cola
2 large eggs, at room temp.
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter 
1/3 cup coca cola
1 tsp. instant espresso 
2 T. water
1 lb. powdered sugar sifted
5 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Serves 12.

Directions:

1. To make cake, grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. 

Bring butter and cola to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until combined. 

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl and add buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. Stir into batter until incorporated. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepare pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cake bakes, make the frosting. 

Bring the butter, cola, coffee, and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir the powdered sugar and cocoa together in a medium bowl and pour the butter-cola mixture over; stir until well blended. Fold in the nuts and marshmallows. 

Remove cake from oven and pour the frosting over the top of the hot cake, spreading to sides of the pan. Cool to room temperature.