Adios Motherfucker
Four white spirits, blue curaçao and lemon-lime soda. The Long Island Iced Tea in a blue coat — as strong as it sounds, and named with an honesty most drinks lack.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add the four spirits, the blue curaçao, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake briefly.
Strain into the glass over the fresh ice.
Top with lemon-lime soda, stir once, and garnish with a lemon wedge.
A thoughtful finish
- Measure every spirit. Half an ounce each is the recipe and the drink is strong at that; a free pour is irresponsible.
- Blue curaçao is orange liqueur with dye, so it does the triple sec's job as well as colouring the drink. Do not add triple sec on top.
- Fresh lemon and a little syrup instead of sour mix make it drinkable.
Common mistakes
- Sour mix, which makes it taste of a blue sweet.
- Too much soda. Two ounces is a top.
- Ordering a second one.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between an AMF and a Long Island Iced Tea?
Blue curaçao and lemon-lime soda in place of triple sec and cola. The spirits are the same; the colour and the citrus lean differ.
How strong is it?
About two and a half ounces of spirit plus a liqueur in a six-ounce drink — around 20% ABV, the equivalent of two cocktails.
Why is it blue?
The curaçao. It is an orange liqueur with blue food colouring; it tastes of orange.
Is it really called that?
Yes, though menus abbreviate it and some bars rename it. The name is a warning.
Variations
- Long Island Iced Tea — With triple sec and cola.
- Blue Lagoon — Vodka, blue curaçao and lemonade.
- Blue Hawaiian — Rum, blue curaçao, pineapple and coconut.
- Tom Collins — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda — the civilised relative.
Where it comes from
c. 1980s–1990s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The AMF — menus abbreviate it, and some rename it the Blue Motorcycle or the Adios — is a Long Island Iced Tea with the triple sec and cola swapped for blue curaçao and lemon-lime soda, which turns it from tea-coloured to electric blue. It appeared in American bars in the 1980s and 1990s alongside the other Long Island variants, has no inventor, and earned its name by containing about two and a half ounces of spirit in a single tall glass. It is a drink to be measured carefully and ordered rarely.
Sources
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Adios Motherfucker, 2015 (reference)
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
Strength. About 1.53 US standard drinks at an estimated 14.5% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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