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    Home All Cocktails

    Tokyo Tea

    Published: Jul 29, 2022 by Kimberly · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
    Side view of a Tokyo Tea cocktail, which is chartreuse green in color and has a lime wheel garnish on the rim and a maraschino cherry next to the lime. The cocktail is in a tall glass with straight sides and has ice cubes in it. In the background are a bottle of Midori melon and a bottle of simple syrup. Text saying "Tokyo Tea" is above the drink.

    The Tokyo Tea, also called the Tokyo Iced Tea, is a delicious (and deceptively strong) cocktail that's so much fun to drink! It has a bright green color from Midori melon liqueur, and fresh lime juice gives it a tasty citrus flavor. It follows the basic formula of a Long Island Iced Tea. It has a lot of alcohol, but the fruit and liqueurs make it go down easy.

    Side view of a Tokyo Tea cocktail, which is chartreuse green in color and has a lime wheel garnish on the rim and a maraschino cherry next to the lime. The cocktail is in a tall glass with straight sides and has ice cubes in it. In the background are various ingredients along with a vase of flowers and bar tools..

    This is a fun and easy cocktail to make for a girls night, or even for a green-themed Halloween drink! Even though it has a lot of ingredients, my recipe is easy to remember since it's equal parts of everything.

    Looking for more green-colored cocktails? Check out the best Midori Sour ever, the always classic Last Word cocktail, or this tasty Kiwi Chartreuse Daiquiri.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • Instructions
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Top tip
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    Don't be intimidated when you see all 9 ingredients in this cocktail, because you're going to be using equal parts of each one. Just remember that you'll need all four of the classic "clear liquors" (rum, gin, vodka and tequila) along with Triple Sec and Midori liqueurs.

    Remember, there is no whiskey in this (same as a Long Island Iced Tea). All the liquor, except for the Midori, is clear in color. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

    • Midori liqueur - Midori, which means green in Japanese, is a melon-flavored liqueur with a bright green color.
    • Triple Sec liqueur - this is an orange-flavored liqueur that is clear in color. I used Cointreau liqueur, which is a brand of triple sec.
    • White Rum - go for a light-colored rum. This way, green is the only color in the drink. I used Plantation 3 Stars white rum.
    • Gin - a classic London Dry style of gin works great here. I used Highclere Castle gin.
    • Vodka - no need for a premium vodka in this drink. I used Tito's vodka, which tastes great and is reasonably priced.
    • Tequila Blanco - like the rum, go for a clear, unaged tequila. I used Pasote blanco tequila.
    • Lime juice
    • Simple syrup
    • Seltzer

    If you want to add an easy and traditional garnish, you'll also need a fresh lime and a maraschino cherry. Feel free to play around with the garnish! A lime wedge or twist work great too.

    Ingredients for a Tokyo Tea cocktail all together on a countertop.

    Substitutions

    The beauty of this kind of cocktail, with four different types of hard liquor, is that they somehow all work together so well. If you don't have one of them, though, just use more of what you do have on hand, so you end up with the same amount of liquor in the drink.

    Some other substitutions you can make:

    • Sprite - instead of using seltzer, you can use a little Sprite or another clear soda if you want to make this drink a little sweeter.
    • Sour Mix - although I think the drink is better with fresh citrus, you can use your favorite sour mix instead. Just omit the juice and also the simple syrup, since sour mix has its own sweetener.
    • Liqueur - if you don't have Triple Sec, you can omit it, or use more Midori in its place. You could also use limoncello instead (the non-cloudy style). The green will overpower the yellow color of the limoncello.
    Semi-overhead view of a Tokyo Tea cocktail in a tall Collins glass, which has straight sides. The drink is chartreuse green and has a lime wheel and maraschino cherry garnish. Ingredients and a mirrored tray are in the background.

    Equipment

    This drink is usually served in a Collins cocktail glass (tall with straight sides), although you can serve it in whatever glass you have around. You'll also want to have a jigger or small measuring cup, a cocktail shaker and a cocktail strainer. If you're using fresh citrus, a citrus juicer is a huge help.

    Need any new bar tools? Check out A Bar Above (and don't forget to grab 10% off using my discount code, LKDrinks). Their bar tools are really durable, dishwasher safe and beautiful too!

    Instructions

    Start out by prepping your lime wheel garnish. Cut a slice about ⅛ inch thick, and cut a small slit in one side so you can add it to the glass rim. Set it aside while you make the drink.

    Then, start measuring all of your ingredients into a cocktail shaker. First, measure and add the lime juice.

    Hands cutting a slice of a lime on a wood cutting board. In the background is a bottle of Midori melon liqueur.
    Hand pouring lime juice into a glass cocktail shaker from a jigger.

    Then, add in the simple syrup and Midori liqueur.

    Hand pouring simple syrup from a jigger into a glass cocktail shaker.
    Hand pouring Midori melon liqueur from a jigger into a glass cocktail shaker.

    Next, add in the Triple Sec liqueur. Then, add in the hard liquors: rum, gin, vodka and tequila.

    Hand pouring vodka from a jigger into a glass cocktail shaker.
    Hand pouring white rum from a jigger into a glass cocktail shaker.

    Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and give everything a good shake, about 15-20 seconds. Add fresh ice to your serving glass.

    Hand using an ice scoop to add ice to a glass cocktail shaker filled with green liquid.
    Hands using gold colored ice tongs to add ice to a Collins cocktail glass.

    Strain the drink into the prepared serving glass, and then top it off with seltzer.

    Hand using a gold colored cocktail shaker and strainer to strain a green colored drink into a Collins glass filled with ice.
    Hand holding a green bottle of seltzer and pouring some of the seltzer into a cocktail glass filled with green liquid.

    To garnish, add the lime wheel to the rim of the glass. Place a maraschino cherry next to the lime wheel, and serve.

    Hand adding a slice of lime to the rim of a Collins cocktail glass filled with ice and green liquid.
    Hand adding a maraschino cherry to the top of a cocktail glass filled with green liquid and ice cubes.

    Hint: a good rule of thumb is to add your least expensive ingredients to the cocktail shaker first, in case you measure wrong and have to start over!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does a Tokyo Tea taste like?

    It has bright citrusy flavors up front from the lime juice, with the melon flavor of Midori coming in next. Overall it has a sweet and tangy flavor, with some notes of the different liquors coming through.

    What is the difference between a Long Island Iced Tea and a Tokyo Tea?

    The Long Island Iced Tea and Tokyo Tea have a similar recipe, but they do taste very different. Tokyo Tea has Midori melon liqueur, which gives it a sweeter, more fruity flavor than the LIIT. Tokyo Tea also uses seltzer (or sometimes lemon-lime soda) instead of cola, so the flavor definitely is more fruit-forward and less like the flavor of true iced tea.

    Top tip

    Just keep in mind when you drink a Tokyo Tea that it does have a lot of alcohol! One of these drinks is like drinking 1.7 glasses of wine. It's around 20% ABV (alcohol by volume). So definitely take this one slow, it's deceptively strong!

    If you want to make this drink a little less strong but keep the same flavors, my suggestion is to omit the vodka and just add extra seltzer at the end.

    📖 Recipe

    Side view of a Tokyo Tea cocktail, which is chartreuse green in color and has a lime wheel garnish on the rim and a maraschino cherry next to the lime. The cocktail is in a tall glass with straight sides and has ice cubes in it. In the background are a bottle of Midori melon along with a bottle of gin, a lime, and a bottle of simple syrup.

    Tokyo Tea (aka Tokyo Iced Tea)

    Kimberly Salem
    This Tokyo Tea is similar to a Long Island Iced Tea, but with Midori melon and lime in place of the cola and lemon.
    5 from 1 vote
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American, Japanese
    Servings 1
    Calories 264 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Cocktail serving glass (Collins glass)
    • 1 Cocktail shaker and strainer
    • 1 Jigger or measuring cup
    • 1 Citrus juicer
    • 1 Knife and cutting board (for fresh citrus and lime garnish)

    Ingredients

    Garnish

    • 1 slice of fresh lime
    • 1 maraschino cherry

    Cocktail

    • 0.5 ounces lime juice
    • 0.5 ounces simple syrup
    • 0.5 ounces Midori
    • 0.5 ounces triple sec
    • 0.5 ounces gin
    • 0.5 ounces vodka
    • 0.5 ounces white rum
    • 0.5 ounces tequila blanco

    Instructions
     

    • Add the lime juice and simple syrup to your cocktail shaker.
    • Add the Midori and triple sec to your cocktail shaker.
    • Add the gin, vodka, rum and tequila to your cocktail shaker.
    • Fill the shaker with ice, seal the shaker up and give it 15-20 hard shakes.
    • Add fresh ice to your cocktail glass and strain the drink into the glass.
    • Garnish by adding the lime slice to the rim of the glass. Place the maraschino cherry next to the lime slice, and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 13IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword cocktail, gin, green, lime, melon, Midori, rum, tequila, triple sec, vodka
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anna says

      August 04, 2022 at 11:11 am

      Sounds great for summer drink. I will have to expand my bar.

      Reply
      • Kimberly says

        August 04, 2022 at 11:46 am

        Hi Anna, it's definitely a great drink for summertime! Cheers 🥂

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Side view of a Tokyo Tea cocktail, which is chartreuse green in color and has a lime wheel garnish on the rim and a maraschino cherry next to the lime. The cocktail is in a tall glass with straight sides and has ice cubes in it. In the background are a bottle of Midori melon and a bottle of simple syrup. Text saying "Tokyo Tea" is above the drink.
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