We are back from the beach after a fun long weekend for the 4th of July. It was a fun trip with beach mornings, pool afternoons, a boat ride and some delicious eats. My parents were down with us, too, and it was great to all be together. But OK, let’s move along to the beverages. Last week I shared this frozen screwdriver drink, which is perfect for some slushy summertime sipping. Today it’s another one of my favorites that’s even easier to mix together. (Read: No blender or electricity needed.) A spiked Arnold Palmer is a boozy version of a regular Arnold Palmer drink, which is a half-tea, half-lemonade drink named after the famous golfer. And while those are lovely drinks, they are just begging for a bit of liquor to be added, don’t you think? For me, the go-to is bourbon. I’m a bourbon lover through and through, and it also pairs really nicely with the citrus and tea flavors here. Some people also use vodka to spike this drink, and that’s fine here too, if you want to swap it. Either way, this lovely, light drink is great for sipping on in the afternoons. It’s what I make for lake days, boat days, beach days and more. I love that it’s not overwhelmingly sweet or sugary (especially if you opt for an unsweetened iced tea) and that it’s summery and refreshing. Yup, you need this in your life. OK, let’s get mixing. Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up on how to make a spiked Arnold Palmer. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Alcohol: My preference for alcohol here is to use bourbon. The sweetness and depth of flavor goes really well here. However, I know some people make their spiked versions of this drink with vodka, so you could use that if you’d rather, as mentioned previously. Either way, we do want a decent quality liquor. Doesn’t have to be top shelf, but it shouldn’t be bottom shelf either. Tea: Feel free to use a sweet or unsweet iced tea in this drink. I choose an unsweet to cut down on total sugar. (The lemonade has enough sweetness for the drink in my opinion.) You can also either make your own lemonade and iced tea or use a store-bought version. (I’ve even just added bourbon to a bottle of half-tea, half-lemonade diet Snapple before. It was delicious. )
One other tip: If you want to tone this down a bit or really don’t want too much sweetness, you can top off your glass with a bit of club soda. It adds a nice fizziness. Also, because I love you, the recipe card below includes instructions for making a single drink for one person or a big batch to share with friends. Pour ‘em all around! And while I usually just make my drink and go, you could certainly add some fun garnishes to dress up your glass.
Optional Garnishes:
Lemon slices Orange wedges Sliced strawberries Cherries Sprig of fresh mint
I hope you give this a try to liven up a beautiful summer day. Enjoy and happy sipping! XO, Kathryn P.S. Stay tuned because I have lots more fun drink recipes coming up for you this month. (Update: Check out these Pimm’s Cup and Aperol Spritz recipes for more light and refreshing drinks.) You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you! Liquor: My preference for alcohol here is to use bourbon. The sweetness and depth of flavor goes really well in this drink. However, I know some people make their spiked versions of this drink with vodka, so you could use that if you’d rather. Either way, we do want a decent quality liquor. Doesn’t have to be top shelf, but it shouldn’t be bottom shelf either. Tea: Feel free to use a sweet or unsweet iced tea in this drink. I choose an unsweet tea to cut down on total sugar. (The lemonade has enough sweetness for the drink for my tastes.) You can also either make your own lemonade and iced tea or use a store-bought version. (I’ve even used a half tea/half lemonade diet Snapple and added bourbon to that and it was tasty.) Club soda: If you want to tone this drink down a bit or really don’t want too much sweetness, you can top off your glass with a bit of club soda. It adds a nice, refreshing fizziness. And of course, please drink responsibly.
