In case you haven’t heard, golfing legend Arnold Palmer passed away over the weekend. While those who love golf mourn the passing of one of the game’s greatest (ranked sixth of all time by Golf Digest), we plan on hoisting a glass of the refreshing drink named after The King.
The Arnold Palmer wasn’t invented by Arnold Palmer per se. He just really loved the drink — because it’s delicious — and would always order it from golf clubhouses the world over. One day in the sixties, someone overheard Palmer ordering the drink in Palm Springs and asked for the ‘Palmer drink’ and the rest, as they say, is history.
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As with all mixology, measures are paramount in achieving the perfect concoction that goes down easily and balances the sweet with the sour. Palmer’s preferred measure was 75 percent black iced tea and 25 percent standard lemonade. The lemonade is poured over ice first to act as a sweetener and base for the iced tea addition, which is floated on top. It’s pretty straight forward.
As with all cocktails and mocktails, there are countless variations out there to choose from. You can go 50/50 on the mix, also known as a ‘Half & Half’ for those of you who prefer things a little more sour. There are also various alcohol-infused variations like the Drunken Palmer, which adds bourbon into the mix, or the John Daly which is an Arnold Palmer spiked with vodka.
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Later in his career, Palmer licensed his image and name to Arizona Beverage Company to make a version of the Arnold Palmer for the masses. These mixes, bottles, and cans are still available on Amazon. However, we recommend going another way. Grab some nice California lemons and make your own homemade lemonade. Then put a pitcher of water with a couple bags of nice black tea out in the sun. Mix those two components according to Palmer’s recipe over ice and enjoy a hell of a refreshing drink.
The drink has transcended the golfer — with Will Arnett and 30 for 30 making a cheeky short documentary about the subject. Enjoy it while you sip.
https://youtu.be/BTiYgHliwuE
