Arnold Palmer Cocktail recipe
Rating
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
The Arnold Palmer is a simple, refreshing highball that pairs two everyday staples into something greater than the sum of its parts. You’ll most often see it served over ice as a non-alcoholic cooler, and while it’s widely associated with the golfer it’s named after, it’s best thought of as an American-style soft drink mash-up that became a go-to order for anyone who wants something more interesting than a single mixer.
With equal parts lemonade and iced tea, you get a clean balance of bright citrus sweetness and brisk tea character. The lemonade brings a zesty, sugary lift that keeps the drink lively, while the iced tea adds gentle bitterness and a drying edge that stops it from tasting cloying. Together they land in a sweet-tart, lightly tannic middle ground that stays crisp from first sip to last.
Serve it in a highball glass when you want easy refreshment without heaviness—think warm afternoons, barbecues, or a long lunch. It suits you if you like citrusy drinks but prefer a softer, less sugary finish than straight lemonade, and it’s a crowd-pleaser that works just as well for casual sipping as it does alongside food.
Microbadges
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Cocktail Colin says:
Lemonade leads with bright, tangy citrus sweetness while iced tea brings a cool, lightly bitter, tannic backbone that keeps the sip crisp and clean. This works because the iced tea reins in the lemonade’s sugar and the lemonade lifts the tea’s dryness; it’s ideal for anyone who wants an easy, refreshing, not-too-sweet highball.
Method
How to make a Arnold Palmer
- Lemonade 150ml, Iced tea 150ml
-
- Fill a highball glass with ice
-
- Pour in the ice tea first, followed by the lemonade
-
- Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve
Power tips
Elevate the Arnold Palmer with these master mixologist tips
Upgrade to premium
And receive world class tips on how to raise your cocktails to the next level.
Find out more- Upgrade to premium to receive power tips from top bartenders around the world. Raise you mixology game.
- Read the tweaks that take this simple cocktail to the next level of greatness. Become the next best mixologist which people all talk about.
Your private tasting notes
Featured in
FAQ's
Who invented the Arnold Palmer cocktail?
The Arnold Palmer cocktail is named after the American golfer Arnold Palmer. He is credited with popularizing the drink, which he made at home by combining lemonade and iced tea. The drink became well-known when Palmer ordered it in a restaurant, and a nearby patron overheard and ordered 'that Palmer drink,' thus giving it its name.
What is the best way to serve an Arnold Palmer?
An Arnold Palmer is best served cold in a highball glass. It's traditionally not shaken or stirred; you simply pour lemonade and iced tea over ice. The drink can be garnished with a slice of lemon or a sprig of mint for added freshness.
Can I use flavored tea or lemonade in an Arnold Palmer?
Yes, you can customize your Arnold Palmer by using flavored tea or lemonade. Consider trying peach or raspberry iced tea, or even a pink lemonade for a twist on the classic recipe. These substitutions can add an interesting depth to the traditional flavor.
Is there a way to make an Arnold Palmer more exciting without adding alcohol?
Absolutely! Although the classic Arnold Palmer is non-alcoholic, you can make it more exciting by adding carbonated water for some fizz, or by infusing the lemonade or iced tea with herbs like basil, mint, or rosemary before mixing them together.
What occasions are most suitable for serving an Arnold Palmer?
An Arnold Palmer is a versatile drink suitable for a variety of occasions. It's perfect for a refreshing daytime drink, at a summer BBQ or picnic, during a golf outing, or anytime you're looking for a non-alcoholic option that's flavorful and refreshing.
Upgrade your mixology
Become a member for free taking your cocktail making skills up to level 11. Or become a premium member to rise to cocktail greatness.
- Save your bar forever
- Access to our Cocktail Creator, allowing you to create your own wonderful concoctions.
- Access to Cocktail Colin; ask Cocktail Colin anything on an individual cocktail and he'll give you the answers you need.
- Create personalised cocktail menus for all your events, bars or parties
- Save cocktails to personalised 'Tried' and 'Want to try' lists
- Create and record tasting notes on cocktails
- Create lists of cocktails to share with friends and family
- A personalised MyBar URL, allowing you to share everything you can make with friends
- And much more ... (what to buy next, measurement choices, search personalisation...)
Have you tried our Wordpress Plugin?
Download our plugin and embed cocktail recipes directly onto your own site or blog.
Choose from our whole recipe database, or choose a specific cocktail made with a certain ingredient, and let us place a beautiful recipe on your own site.
Find out moreYou might also like
Experience this creamy fusion with a citrusy fizz
Snowball
Advocaat, Lime juice, Lemonade
Experience this refreshing blend of vodka and strawberries.
Strawberry Fizz
Vodka, Strawberry schnapps, Lemonade
Experience this bubbly blend of lemonade and champagne
Lemon Garden Fizz
Cachaça, Champagne / prosecco, Lemonade, Sugar / simple syrup
Dive into this fruity fusion with a tropical twist
Green Pineapple
Vodka, Peach schnapps, Blue curaçao, Pineapple juice, Lemonade
Create a cocktail
Choose a theme and some ingredients, give us some description and we'll create an amazing cocktail for you.
Register as a Premium Make Me a Cocktail community member and get access to an even more powerful creator.
Start creatingBuild your bar
Tell us what you have at home and we'll find a delicious cocktail for you to make right now.
Register as a Make Me a Cocktail community member and we'll save your ingredients list so you can come back to it at any time.
Create My Bar
Cocktail Colin
Your cocktail expert
Hi! I'm Cocktail Colin
Ask me anything about this cocktail - how to make it, substitutions, variations, or any other questions!
Become a member to access Cocktail Colin
Become a member (for free) to pick Cocktail Colin's cocktail filled brain on everything on this cocktail, from substitutions, if you can use what you have, to serving suggestions and more.
Become a member
Comments