Homemade Arnold Palmer Tea

Named after the legendary golfer who invented it, the Arnold Palmer Drink is a refreshing drink. A combination of homemade unsweetened tea and lightly sweetened lemonade, this mocktail sips easy on a hot day.

You Will Love This Arnold Palmer Tea

An Arnold Palmer Drink is a combination of homemade unsweetened tea and lightly sweetened lemonade. It’s the perfect, easy mocktail everyone at your party will enjoy on a hot day! The best part is that when you make the tea and lemonade at home, you can control the sweetness and find your favorite ratio of tea-to-lemonade!

Drinking an Arnold Palmer Iced Tea is the perfect way to cool down on a summer’s day.

What is an Arnold Palmer Drink?

The Arnold Palmer gets its name from the legendary American golfer. (Hi. I know nothing about golf, but his name kind of rings a bell because I like this beverage.)

Its origin story is widely varied—I’ve read that he invented it in the dining hall at his alma mater, Wake Forest, and that he ordered it at a bar after a long day golfing.

Whenever and wherever it was invented, an Arnold Palmer Iced Tea is the perfect drink to cool down on a hot summer’s day.

What’s in an Arnold Palmer Drink?

• Tea Bags – The classic choice is neutral unsweetened black tea, but you could mix things up and try a flavored tea like raspberry or orange pekoe!
• Water
• Lemons – You will want to squeeze your lemon juice to make the lemonade. Do not use the bottle lemon juice from the store.
• Sugar

How to Make An Arnold Palmer (Drink)

I’ve read that the golf legend liked his at the ratio of three parts tea to one part lemonade. So basically, unsweetened tea with a splash of lemonade.

I’ve changed it a bit because I like mine a little sweeter and with more lemonade. My version is about a 2 to 1 ratio, which is also usually what is served in a restaurant. It’s called a half and half. That said, you can use whatever ratio you’d like to make your Arnold Palmer. Experiment and tinker until find your happy medium—it’s a tasty endeavor. 🙂

1. Make Tea – Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add tea bags and remove from heat. Let steep for 2-4 hours depending on intensity you like in your tea. Remove tea bags and refrigerate tea overnight.
2. Make Lemonade – Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add sugar and stir until there are no visible sugar crystals. Remove from heat and let cool. Using a citrus juicer, juice your lemons. Add lemon sugar to simple syrup in saucepan, stir and transfer to Mason jar to refrigerate overnight.
3. Mix – Pour lemon mixture over ice (I like mine crushed!) and then pour tea over the lemonade.

Do I have to make Arnold Palmer Tea from scratch?

If you’re not feeling it from scratch, you can certainly pick up some store-bought ingredients to mix up your Arnold Palmer! We’ve all been there, and it certainly works in a pinch, though I’m partial to the homemade rendition because I know exactly what’s going into it.

Pro tip: Make sure to get real lemonade and your favorite unsweetened tea to make it taste as delicious as possible.

Arnold Palmer Drink Expert Tips

• Crushed ice is what makes this so pretty and amazing. Grab a blender and crush until almost powdery. If you don’t want to do this just use regular ice cubes!
• The layering trick is achieved by first pouring the lemonade in the glass and then the iced tea. The sugar in the bottom layer along with the ice helps keeps the layers separated as you pour.
• Mix up your flavors by using different flavors of tea like raspberry, green tea etc.
• Make an adult version by spiking it with vodka. Did you know they have a sweet tea vodka?

Craving More Mocktails?

• There’s nothing like a cold refreshing Blueberry Lemonade on hot summer days!
• Love Watermelon? This fun flavor combo, Watermelon Mint Lemonade is refreshing and delicious!
• Remember Shirley Temple Drinks from your childhood?

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