Instructions
Prepare Your Glass:
- If you prefer your cocktail chilled but not diluted, you can start by placing your glass in the freezer to chill it beforehand.
Combine the Ingredients:
- In your glass, add ice if desired. This will chill the ingredients as you drink and slightly mellow the strong flavors.
- Pour 1 oz of tequila, 1 oz of vodka, 1 oz of gin, and 1 oz of rum into the glass. Each of these spirits contributes to creating a complex flavor profile that is both bold and surprisingly smooth.
Stir the Cocktail:
- Mix the ingredients together gently. This ensures that the spirits are well combined, offering a consistent taste from start to finish.
Serve:
- Once mixed, the cocktail is ready to be served. You can garnish with a lime wheel or leave it unadorned for a straightforward presentation.
Video
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Leg Spreader Naughty is a 2000s American bar shot turned into a long pour. The name is the marketing, the recipe is older. Equal parts of the four common bar spirits, shaken cold, served neat or over ice. Same family of all-spirit cocktails as the Long Island Iced Tea, the Adios MF, and the Cement Mixer.
The Naughty in the name is the Australian and US bar convention that distinguishes the high-proof version from the lemonade-and-fruit Nice version of the same drink. Nice is around 6 percent ABV; Naughty is around 40 percent. Same name, very different orders.
Best ordered when a four-spirit pour is the whole point. Not a sipping cocktail and not a session cocktail.
What it tastes like
The four spirits compete for the palate. Agave from the tequila first, juniper from the gin in the middle, vodka and rum smoothness on the finish. No sugar, no citrus, no softness.
Around 40 percent ABV in the glass once shaken with ice. The Naughty is one of the strongest pours on a back-bar menu and is sized accordingly: rarely more than two ounces of liquid in the final glass.
The technique
Pour one ounce of silver tequila, one ounce of vodka, one ounce of London Dry gin, and one ounce of light rum into a shaker filled with ice. Shake hard for ten seconds. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Drink slowly.
Chill the rocks glass in the freezer for ten minutes before serving. The cold glass keeps the dilution from collapsing the spirits the moment they leave the shaker.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The four spirits
- Use
- Tequila, vodka, gin, rum, all silver or unaged.
- Skip
- Whisky. The wood notes do not blend with the other three.
- Why
- All four are unaged white spirits. Their flavour profiles complement rather than fight, and the cocktail is designed to taste of all four at once.
The shake
- Use
- A shake of ten seconds, hard.
- Skip
- A stir.
- Why
- The shake aerates the four spirits and adds the dilution that takes the cocktail from a 40-percent neat pour to a drinkable shaken cocktail. A stir leaves the drink hotter and harder.
The glass
- Use
- A chilled rocks glass, no ice, served straight up.
- Skip
- A martini glass for any party setting. The Naughty is too easy to spill.
- Why
- A rocks glass holds two ounces of liquid comfortably and is sturdy enough for the late-night setting where the cocktail tends to land.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
The standard build
- Leg Spreader Naughty, shaken
- Equal parts tequila, vodka, gin, rum, shaken hard for ten seconds, strained into a chilled rocks glass.
The Aussie shaken build
- Leg Spreader, on ice
- Same build, served over fresh ice in a rocks glass. The dilution opens the spirits and lengthens the cocktail.
The Long Island variant
- Leg Spreader, with cola
- Add an ounce of triple sec and top with cola. Drinks closer to a Long Island Iced Tea, lower ABV, easier on the palate.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
A second ounce of vodka. The cocktail loses the agave note but keeps the four-spirit balance.
A second ounce of rum. The juniper goes missing. Acceptable, not ideal.
A second ounce of gin. The cocktail tilts botanical. Different drink, same total alcohol.
A second ounce of tequila. The cocktail tilts agave-forward. Drinks closer to a tequila-vodka-gin sour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Leg Spreader Naughty cocktail?
Equal parts (one ounce each) of silver tequila, vodka, London Dry gin, and light rum, shaken with ice and strained into a rocks glass. Four ingredients, no mixer.
How strong is the Naughty Leg Spreader?
Around 40 percent ABV in the glass once shaken with ice. The cocktail is one of the strongest pours on a back-bar menu and is sized accordingly: rarely more than two ounces of liquid in the final glass.
What is the difference between Naughty and Nice Leg Spreader?
The Nice version uses one or two of the same spirits with lemonade and fruit, around 6 percent ABV. The Naughty version is the four-spirit shaken pour with no mixer, around 40 percent ABV.
What does a Leg Spreader Naughty taste like?
The four spirits compete: agave first, juniper in the middle, vodka and rum smoothness on the finish. No sugar, no citrus.
Why is it called a Leg Spreader?
Standard 2000s back-bar branding. The name is the marketing, the recipe is older. The Naughty in the name distinguishes the high-proof version from the gentler Nice version.
Can I make it with whisky instead?
Not recommended. The wood notes from a whisky do not blend with tequila, vodka, gin, or rum. The cocktail is designed for four unaged white spirits.
Should I shake or stir?
Shake. The shake aerates the four spirits and adds the dilution that takes the cocktail from a hot 40-percent pour to a drinkable shaken cocktail.
Should I serve it neat or over ice?
Neat is standard. Over ice is the Aussie convention. Both work; over ice is easier on the palate.
Can I make a non-alcoholic version?
No. The cocktail is the four-spirit balance. Drop one spirit and it stops being a Leg Spreader.
What other cocktails are similar?
A Long Island Iced Tea, an Adios Motherfucker, a Cement Mixer, and a Suffering Bastard. All four lean on multiple spirits at once.
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