Have you had recently Long Island Iced Tea?
I haven’t had one in a while. However, I remember the first time I had it around 15 years ago. It was in a wine bar in Barcelona. The only thing I knew about Long Island then was that it was part of the name of a boozy cocktail. I never thought I would live on Long Island years later.
This morning I was eating my Biscotti and drinking my coffee overseeing my neighbor’s garden, and I realized that I have been living on Long Island for ten months! So, after many whirlwinds, I am sharing the story of How I ended up living in Long Island.
Can I have Long Island Iced Tea, please?
Fifteen years ago, my college friend Alex and I were hanging out in a wine bar in Barcelona. After a couple of tapas, pintxos, and wine glasses, we looked for something heavier to get the party going. My cocktail knowledge as an inexperienced twenty-something was limited. I relied on Tequila-based cocktails such as Margaritas and Paloma’s back in Mexico. On the other hand, my friend Alex was an experienced party boy, affluent, and had traveled the world already. Therefore, I felt confident with his recommendations from the cocktail menu. Since we were off to a night of party and my budget was limited, he said: Go with the Long Island Iced Tea, boozy af and very affordable.
I have that image so vivid in my memories. Two college friends recently graduated in a wine bar in Barcelona, discussing the origins of Long Island Iced Tea to as best of their knowledge. That was adulting at the time. That was the first time I heard about and sipped a Long Island Iced Tea. It was boozy, and we might have had a Noche de Barcelona… I do not remember what happened next.
However, life had to go on. At the time, I had to decide between staying or leaving the Old World. First, I decided to move from Barcelona to Mexico, start a Master’s Degree and suddenly start the American Dream. At that moment, little did I know about adult life and the decisions I would face ahead of me that would turn into moving to New York City and a couple of years later buying a house on Long Island, New York.
Lucky to Live Here
I live near the wineries and New York City. I can get away from the city’s noise, but I can also get back when I want. Of course, I miss walking to the bakery every day for my coffee and my croissant, but I love having plenty of space to store my wine. Above all, I am at peace with my decisions for the time being.
After Covid, there was a wave of people moving to Long Island. I was part of that wave, and the interest rates helped us immensely. Do you remember the movie Great Gatsby based on the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, when Leonardo DiCaprio drove from Long Island to Manhattan? When I had to go to Manhattan to wine events, I felt like that. I have that Gatsby feel. During rush hours, traffic is crazy, but a commute in New York is better than anywhere else, and excuse me for bragging. It is fair to say that Long Island is growing in me.
Living near a Wine Country
It is impossible not to romanticize The East End. When I visited the Hamptons a couple of years ago I fell in love with the European spirit of Montauk, I could be there in just a minute, so you can “meet me in Montauk” as in Jim Carrey’s movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Starting with Wolffer Wine to the North Fork last winery, hospitality, Cabernet Franc, and Whites are thriving near me.
I already told you that Long Island Wine Trails is my most read post. As a WineDivaa VIP List member, you can receive a map with my favorite Wineries to visit! So if you are a local or want to visit sometime, I got you covered. Get into the WineDivaa VIP List here and get your map.
Of course, I miss Queens, Mexico, Texas, and Spain. But home is where the heart is, where the inspiration falls, and the wine flows. I am here, and there is nothing definitive in life, but I am happy here now. I feel lucky to live here. Life has given me lemons and thrown me tomatoes, but I never thought I would live on an island, even in my wildest dreams. So I take the wineries, the minerality of its grapes, the drive towards the city Gatsby style, and I will continue to grow a Long Island girl with Mexican Soul and a Spanish accent.
