Arnold Palmer (Half Iced Tea, Half Lemonade)

Before you start

The Arnold Palmer is named for the golfer and is simply iced tea mixed with lemonade. The common pour is half and half, though plenty of people like it tea-forward, around three parts tea to one part lemonade, which reads as lemony iced tea rather than tea-tinted lemonade. Make both components well and you can set the ratio glass by glass.

The tea is where most versions go wrong. Steep it too long and it turns tannic and drying; chill it too fast while very hot and it can cloud. This recipe brews a strong black tea concentrate for 4 minutes, then dilutes it with cold water so it cools quickly. Leave the tea unsweetened: the lemonade carries all the sugar, which keeps the balance easy to adjust.

Ingredients

• Iced tea8 g (4 bags) black tea — such as an English breakfast or Ceylon blend
• 480 ml (2 cups) boiling water
• 480 ml (2 cups) cold water
• Lemonade180 ml (¾ cup) fresh lemon juice
• 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 180 ml (¾ cup) water — for the syrup
• 480 ml (2 cups) cold water
• To serveAs needed ice and lemon wedges

Method

1. Pour 480 ml boiling water over the tea in the heatproof jug. Steep for 4 minutes, then remove the bags without squeezing them.
2. Add 480 ml cold water to the hot tea and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before refrigerating.
3. Meanwhile, warm the sugar and 180 ml water until the sugar dissolves completely. Cool the syrup.
4. Combine the lemon juice, cooled syrup and 480 ml cold water in a second pitcher. Taste; it should be a little sweeter than you would drink on its own, since the tea will dilute it.
5. To serve half and half, fill a glass with ice and pour equal amounts of tea and lemonade. For a tea-forward drink, use 3 parts tea to 1 part lemonade.
6. Stir, add a lemon wedge and serve. Or combine both pitchers for a party at your chosen ratio.

Tips for success

• Squeezing tea bags releases harsh tannins. Lift them out and let them drip instead.
• Pour the lemonade first, then the tea, if you want a two-tone look in a tall glass. It blends as soon as you stir.
• Decaffeinated black tea works well and makes an evening version.

Substitutions

Black tea

Green tea makes a lighter, grassier drink; steep it at about 80°C (175°F) for 3 minutes so it does not turn bitter.

Homemade lemonade

Good refrigerated store-bought lemonade works. Taste it, since many are sweeter than homemade.

Granulated sugar

Honey syrup gives a mellow, rounder flavor that suits black tea well.

Variations

Peach Palmer

Stir 30 ml peach syrup or nectar into each glass.

Sparkling Palmer

Use half tea, a quarter lemonade and a quarter chilled soda water.

Troubleshooting

Cloudy tea

Hot, strong tea chilled suddenly can cloud. Dilute it with cold water and let it reach room temperature before refrigerating. Cloudiness does not affect safety or flavor much.

Dry, puckering taste

The tea steeped too long or the bags were squeezed. Keep the steep to 4 minutes.

Too sweet

Shift the ratio toward tea, which is unsweetened, rather than adding water.

Storage

Keep the tea and lemonade in separate covered pitchers in the fridge. Brewed tea tastes best within 2 days and fresh lemonade within 3. Mix them close to serving.

Safety notes

Black tea contains caffeine. FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, but sensitivity varies. Use decaf tea for children.