Touchdown Tea

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/6/21
Touchdown Tea
Evan Skylar / Photodisc / Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 15 servings
Yield: 1/2 gallon

Perfect for any game day party, including the Super Bowl, this touchdown tea is a fun punch option. The recipe puts a sports-themed twist on the famous Long Island iced tea and it comes together quickly.

This recipe creates a big-batch cocktail that's both familiar and unique. All of the liquors found in the Long Island remain, except the triple sec, which is replaced by orange juice. Instead of topping the drink with cola, you'll use a lemon-lime flavored sports drink (Gatorade is the original recommendation). A splash of cola is still needed, but its purpose is to give the punch a tea-like color.

The recipe makes about 60 ounces of punch, so it will fill the average punch bowl or pitcher. Consider offering only small cups that encourage guests to keep the serving small—four ounces is standard for punch—because this is a potent brew. It's very easy to overindulge on punch and you don't want your guests to be tipsy before halftime!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gin

  • 1 cup rum

  • 1 cup vodka

  • 1/2 cup tequila

  • 3 cups lemon-lime sports drink

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • 1 splash cola

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large pitcher or punch bowl with ice, pour the gin, rum, vodka, tequila, sports drink, and orange juice. Stir well.

  3. Add a splash of cola, stir the punch, and add a little more if needed to get a "tea" color.

  4. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • This punch is best served over ice. Have an ice bucket full of ice nearby for your guests to fill their glass before pouring the punch.
  • In the pitcher or punch bowl, use large chunks of ice instead of the average cubes. These will not melt as fast as smaller pieces.
  • When you're finishing it off with the cola, taste the punch and add a little more orange juice or sports drink if you like.
  • Companies other than Gatorade make a lemon-lime-flavored sports drink. If you have a preference for another option, go ahead and use it.

Recipe Variations

  • The entire flavor of this punch can be altered by simply choosing another flavor of sports drink. There are many available and most will work out just as well.
  • Instead of a lemon-lime sports drink, pour lemonade or a lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7-Up.
  • You can substitute sour mix for the orange juice to be a little more authentic to the Long Island iced tea taste. It's easy to make sour mix at home because it's simply citrus-flavored syrup.

How Strong Is a Touchdown Tea?

Using orange juice rather than triple sec helps bring the touchdown tea down to a reasonable strength for a party punch. If you pour 80-proof spirits exclusively, the recipe's alcohol content will be 18 percent ABV (36 proof). That's right in line with the spiked iced tea family and a little stronger than serving wine.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
128 Calories
0g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 15
Amount per serving
Calories 128
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 32mg 160%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 100mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)