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.

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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?

More Craveable Recipes to see

• How to Make Soft Sugar Cookies from Scratch
• Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing and Doritos Recipe
• Baked Garlic Chicken Legs
• Oreo Dirt Cups
• Cheese Hamburger Dip
• Cooking Frozen Corn on the Cob

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

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5 from 6 votes

Arnold Palmer Drink

A combination of homemade unsweetened tea and lightly sweetened lemonade, this mocktail sips easy on a hot day. 

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:10 minutes mins

Refrigeration Time:12 hours hrs

Total:25 minutes mins

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12

Arnold Palmer Iced Teas

Ingredients

Unsweetened Tea

• ▢ 6 cups water , boiling
• ▢ 5 tea bags

Lemonade

• ▢ 1/2 cup lemon juice , freshly squeezed
• ▢ 2.5 cups water
• ▢ 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Arnold Palmer (Makes 1)

• ▢ 4 oz. unsweetened tea
• ▢ 2 oz. lemonade
• ▢ Crushed or shaved ice

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Instructions

Make the Tea

• In a medium-to-large saucepan, measure out the water.
• Bring water to a boil, and take the saucepan off the heat.
• Add the tea bags.
• Steep for 2-4 hours (or until the intensity you like your tea.)
• Refrigerate overnight in a mason jar or a pitcher.

Make the Lemonade

• In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
• Add the sugar and stir until there are no visible sugar crystals.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let cool. (This is a rendition of simple syrup that’ll sweeten your lemonade right up!)
• Using a citrus juicer, juice your lemons.
• When you have the desired amount of lemon juice, pour it into the saucepan with the simple syrup.
• Transfer the lemonade to a mason jar, and refrigerate overnight.

Make an Arnold Palmer

• Use your blender or refrigerator to make crushed ice. (I like mine almost powdery because it’s soooo refreshing. But you can use regular ice cubes, too.)
• First, pour in the lemonade.
• Next, pour in the tea.
• Stir with a spoon or a straw, garnish with a lemon slice (if desired) and enjoy immediately.

Tips

• This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled! If you’re serving it to a crowd, feel free to combine it in a pitcher and call it a day, making sure to continually stir the ingredients so everyone gets the right amount of lemonade and tea.
• If you’re not feeling it from scratch, you can certainly pick up some store-bought ingredients to mix it up! Pro tip: Make sure to get real lemonade and your favorite unsweetened tea to make it taste as delicious as possible.
• 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?

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Arnold Palmer Iced Tea, Calories: 21kcal (1%), Carbohydrates: 5g (2%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Sodium: 9mg, Potassium: 10mg, Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 5g (6%), Vitamin C: 4mg (5%), Calcium: 5mg (1%)

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We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.