alk into the bar or restaurant of a golf clubhouse anywhere in the world, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear someone utter these words: “I’ll have an Arnold Palmer.”
Remarkably, that now-famous mix of iced tea and lemonade garnered the late golfer’s moniker from the moment Palmer ordered the drink within earshot of someone else. As the story goes, Arnie was having lunch in Palm Springs more than half a century ago when he asked the waitress for a mixture of lemonade and iced tea. A woman sitting nearby overheard his request, and when the server came around to take her order, she said: “I’ll have that Arnold Palmer drink.”
For his part, Palmer had enjoyed the beverage for years. After rounds of golf at Latrobe Country Club during the heat of the summer, for example, Arnie would often ask his wife, Winnie, if she could make him an iced tea with lemonade. Once word spread of The King’s mid-day beverage of choice, however, the phenomenon took on a life of its own.
“I’ll have an Arnold Palmer.”
It even became the focal point of an ESPN commercial for SportsCenter several years back. The TV spot opened with The King and his caddie in the broadcast company’s cafeteria. Arnie stopped at the lemonade and iced tea dispensers, grabbed a glass, then poured some tea, a generous amount of lemonade, and finished it off with another splash of tea.
The late Stuart Scott and Scott Van Pelt—both carrying trays—stood in line behind Palmer, and as The King and his caddie walked away, Van Pelt whispered, “that was awesome.”
“I know,” Scott whispered back.
For decades, thirsty consumers longing for an Arnold Palmer had to take a page out of Arnie’s playbook and mix their own blends of iced tea and lemonade. That changed during the early 2000s, however, once Arnold Palmer Enterprises struck a deal with AriZona Beverage Company to produce the drink for the masses. Since 2002, the company has made and sold billions—literally, billions—of cans and bottles of Arnold Palmer Half & Half.
Similarly, consumers of legal drinking age have taken it upon themselves for decades to add an extra kick to their Arnold Palmers. But now they don’t have to, thanks to Arnold Palmer Spiked, a separate brand of alcoholic varieties. If you’re unfamiliar with the brand and its products, here’s what you should know: These flavored malt beverages taste like an Arnold Palmer but with alcohol. Up until now, the brand has produced Original Half & Half, Lite, and Raspberry flavors. This year—just as the weather heats up—Arnold Palmer Spiked is bolstering that lineup with the addition of two new flavors, Strawberry and Mango, which are available as part of the brand’s variety pack.
Like their ambassador, who was best known for his accomplishments with a golf club in his hands, the two new alcoholic flavors of Palmer’s namesake drink are right at home on the course. But at only 5% ABV, they’re also refreshingly easy to drink, which makes them the perfect pairing for almost any summertime activity.
“You must play boldly to win,” Palmer often said.
Enjoying these bold new flavors this summer—no matter your pastime—will feel like a win all its own.
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