Arnold Palmer

The Arnold Palmer is a popular drink for good reason: it’s delicious and easy to make! The combination of iced tea and lemonade will quench your thirst on a hot summer day.

By
Elana Lepkowski
Elana Lepowski
Elana Lepkowski
Elana Lepkowski has an extensive background in the gourmet and celebrity food industries. She has been writing for for various media outlets since 2006.
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Published March 30, 2023
Elana Lepowski
Glass of Arnold Palmer With a Lemon Slice, Surrounded by a Two Jars (One With Lemon Juice and Another With Black Tea) on a Wooden Board and Two Lemon Wedges

Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski

The Arnold Palmer is one of those perfect drinks. Made from just iced tea and lemonade, it’s sweet but with just enough sharpness from the lemons to balance it out—plus, it’s usually caffeinated. You can use homemade tea and lemonade and adjust them to your liking, or pick both up at the store and mix up a drink in minutes. 

An Arnold Palmer can be altered to meet your taste on any given day. More tea? More sweetness? You can change the ratios, but you’ll always recognize an Arnold Palmer.

What Is an Arnold Palmer?

The Arnold Palmer was named after its credited inventor, pro golfer Arnold Palmer. The short version of the story is that Palmer asked his wife to add a splash of lemonade to his iced tea, and he apparently liked it so much that he started ordering it out. 

One day (sometime in the 1960s), his drink order was overheard by another customer. After a few “I’ll have what he’s having,” the drink caught on.

Two Glasses of Arnold Palmer With a Lemon Slice, Next to a Bowl of Lemons, a Citrus Reamer, and Lemon Wedges

Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski

The Arnold Palmer Ratio

Palmer’s original recipe calls for just a splash of lemonade, something like roughly an 8:1 ratio, or 1 cup of iced tea to 2 tablespoons of lemonade. Nowadays, if you go to a restaurant and order an Arnold Palmer, you’re very likely to get a drink that is 1:1, a much sweeter version.

For an Arnold Palmer, I like a ratio of 1 part lemonade to 2 parts iced tea. No version is the wrong version! You’ll be the one drinking it, so use a ratio of iced tea to lemonade that suits your tastes.

The Best Tea for an Arnold Palmer

Tea plays a starring role, and you have many options. Standard iced tea is made with black tea. This could be an Assam—my personal favorite—or a Ceylon or Darjeeling—these are among the most popular unflavored black teas and will give you a classic flavor. 

Assam is the boldest of these, and I like how the tea flavor stands up to the lemonade. Ceylon is softer and blends well with the lemonade as it has a fruity flavor. Darjeeling falls somewhere between the two.

Glass of Arnold Palmer With a Lemon Slice, Next to a Jar of Black Tea on a Wooden Board and Two Lemon Wedges

Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski

The Best Lemonade for an Arnold Palmer

When it comes to lemonade, I like a nice tart bite in addition to the sweetness. I use Eureka lemons, but you could also do a mix of Eureka and Meyer if you want a naturally sweeter and less tart lemonade. 

I also use organic cane sugar to sweeten the lemonade, which results in a darker lemonade due to the residual presence of molasses. (Using superfine or standard granulated sugar will give you a brighter-colored lemonade.) 

Although I’ve given you the homemade versions of both the tea and the lemonade, the ratios here will work just as well with your favorite store-bought iced tea and lemonade, making this a super quick drink to whip up when you want one.

Variations on the Arnold Palmer

Now that you can pour yourself a standard Arnold Palmer, let’s mix it up! Here are a few of the ways I enjoy modifying the drink:

  • Make it mint. Blanch one bunch of mint in boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, pat them dry, then combine the leaves (compost the stems) with one cup of simple syrup in a blender for 30 seconds. Strain, bottle the syrup, and refrigerate it for up to a month. Add a tablespoon or two to your Arnold Palmer for a refreshing minty twist.
  • Swap the black tea for green. This is an easy switch that still tastes great with lemonade. Try it with sencha, a savory green tea, or jasmine—a lighter-bodied, floral tea.
  • Or swap for herbal tea. My go-to herbal swap is dried hibiscus flowers that I cold brew overnight (1/2 cup flowers + 4 cups cold water).
  • Make it boozy. Add 1 to 2 ounces of whiskey to a black tea Arnold Palmer for a boozy take on the drink. Alternatively, 1 to 2 ounces of tequila added to a hibiscus Arnold Palmer is equally tasty.
Jars on a Wooden Board (R to L): Jar of Green Tea, Jar of Hibiscus Flower Tea, Jar of Lemon Juice, and a Jar of Black Tea, and in the Surroundings, a Bowl of Lemons, a Knife on the Counter, a Halved Lemon, and a Citrus Reamer

Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski

Cold Drinks for a Hot Day

Arnold Palmer

Prep Time 3 mins
Total Time 3 mins
Serving 1 serving
Yield 1 drink

Adjust the ratio of tea to lemonade to suit your tastes.

The homemade tea and lemonade recipes make enough to mix up 8 Arnold Palmers. You can mix them individually or combine the two in a big pitcher for a batch of drinks.

Ingredients

For a single serving Arnold Palmer

  • 1/2 cup black iced tea

  • 1/4 cup lemonade

  • Lemon slices for garnish, optional

For homemade black iced tea

  • 1/2 cup (29 g) Assam tea

  • 4 cups cold water

For homemade lemonade

  • 1 pound lemons, about 4 medium

  • 1 1/2 cups water, divided

  • 1/2 cup sugar

Method

To make an Arnold Palmer:

  1. Combine the ingredients:

    Fill a glass 2/3 full with ice. Add the black iced tea and lemonade and mix just to combine. 

    Glass Filled With Ice and Some Lemonade, and in the Background, Another Glass With Ice and Lemonade, a Bowl of Lemons, and a Citrus Reamer. On the Left, Two Jars (One With Lemon Juice and Another With Black Tea) on a Wooden Board and Two Lemon Wedges for Arnold Palmer Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski
    Assam Tea Poured Into Glass Filled With Ice and Some Lemonade. In the Background, Another Glass With Tea, Ice, and Lemonade, a Bowl of Lemons, and a Citrus Reamer, and on the Left, Two Jars (One With Lemon Juice and Another With Black Tea) on a Wooden Board and Two Lemon Wedges for Arnold Palmer Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski
  2. Garnish:

    Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Serve.

    Lemon Slice Added to Glass of Arnold Palmer With Ice. In the Background, Another Glass With Tea, Ice, and Lemonade, a Bowl of Lemons, and a Citrus Reamer, and on the Left, Two Jars (One With Lemon Juice and Another With Black Tea) on a Wooden Board and Two Lemon Wedges.

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski

To make homemade black iced tea and lemonade:

  1. Cold brew the tea leaves:

    In a nonreactive container (like glass), combine the tea leaves and 4 cups of water. Gently stir to combine and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. (Taste the tea at 8 hours—if you’d like it to taste stronger, continue to steep.)

    Bag of Assam Tea Added to Pyrex Measuring Cup Filled With Water for Arnold Palmer Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski
  2. Strain and chill:

    Strain the mixture into a pitcher. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or use immediately.

  3. Juice the lemons:

    Squeeze lemons over a bowl with a sieve on top to catch any seeds. Squeeze until you have 1/2 cup of juice. Set aside.

    Lemon Pressed Used to Squeeze Lemon Halves Over a Strainer and a Pyrex Measuring Cup, and Next to It, a Cutting Board With Lemon Wedges

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski
  4. Make the simple syrup:

    In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of water and the sugar over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This should yield approximately 3/4 cup of simple syrup.

    Water Added to Pot of Sugar on a Stove to Make Simply Syrup for Arnold Palmer Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Elana Lepkowski
  5. Combine the ingredients: 

    In a pitcher, combine the cooled simple syrup, remaining 1 cup of water, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or use immediately.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
26 Calories
0g Fat
7g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 26
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 34mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.