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    Home » People

    Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer)

    May 20, 2023 · Leave a Comment

    Not too sweet, not too tart. This Iced Tea Lemonade is the refreshing drink you'll want in your refrigerator all summer.

    two crystal glasses of lemonade iced tea with lemon garnish and tea pitcher in background.
    • This iced tea lemonade is great any time of year, but it is especially refreshing in the warm days of summer. It's so many things:
    • the perfect porch-sittin' drink
    • the thirst-quencher after yard work
    • a crowd-pleaser at a barbecue
    • what's in your other hand when you're flipping grilled turkey burgers

    And we have the legendary golfer, Arnold Palmer, to thank for such a tasty, versatile beverage.

    Good Housekeeping magazine wrote about it in this article posted online in 2016. It's a quick read that brings a smile. As the story goes, he "invented" it by suggesting to his wife that they add a little lemonade to a pitcher of iced tea.

    It was so delicious and refreshing that he began ordering it in restaurants by describing it to waiters and waitresses. It caught on, and now is simply known as an "Arnold Palmer".

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • FAQ
    • Related
    • Pairing
    • Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer)
    • Food safety
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Lemonade iced tea only has four ingredients, plus water and ice.

    a lemon, tea bags, sugar, and Country Time lemonade mix
    • a lemon
    • tea bags
    • sugar
    • powdered lemonade drink mix

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    What makes this recipe so great is that the tea is freshly brewed. Yes, there are mixes you can buy that are powdered tea and lemonade, but brewing the tea really elevates it.

    The recipe is just two steps. One - you brew the tea in sugar water. Two - you combine all the ingredients in a pitcher. It's so incredibly easy for the amazing flavor you get!

    two cups of water in small saucepan with suga

    Place two cups of water in small saucepan with sugar. Stir and tea bags.

    electric citrus juicer with lemon juice and water in measuring cup

    Here I juiced the lemon into the water that got added to pitcher, simply because my pitcher is too tall for this juicer.

    Remember to keep an eye on the tea and turn off the heat when the water boils. If the teabags are in a boil, you risk one of them tearing. This is not harmful, but it will scatter tea leaves throughout your tea.

    If that happens, the fix is easy. Simply strain it through a fine mesh strainer like this one as you pour it into the pitcher.

    Substitutions and Variations

    It's amazing how many options can apply to a recipe with so few ingredients. Make it your own by experimenting with flavors or grown-up versions.

    • Flavored Teas - mix it up by using different flavored teas like peach, orange, raspberry, or mint.
    • Decaffeinated - use decaffeinated teas like chamomile or peppermint tea.
    • Fruits & Herbs - try different garnishes like fruits (blueberries, strawberries) and herbs (mint, basil).
    • Adult friendly - add a splash of vodka, rum, whiskey, or lemoncello for a grown-up version.

    Or combine some of these ideas and do something like peach green tea lemonade!

    Drop us a note in the comments to let us know your favorite combos. Chances are, we'll want to try them, too!

    Equipment

    There's a really good chance you already have the equipment you need for this recipe. Here are my go-tos and why I love them:

    All-Clad 1-Quart Stainless Steel Sauce Pan - It's the perfect size for boiling two cups of water to steep tea. I also like it for warming butter, making oatmeal, and heating up soup or leftovers. And, heck, it's kinda bowl-sized, so when Doug's not home, I'll eat right out of this pan - HA! Listen it's pricey. All-Clad is, but it's worth it, especially if you can get it on sale.

    Either a manual juicer or an electric juicer makes it much easier than juicing a lemon by hand. A manual juicer gives great results, but nothing beats my Breville Citrus Press Pro electric juicer. It's so fast, and I love that it gets every drop of juice from my citrus.

    A long-handled wooden spoon is what you need to stir your iced tea lemonade. This set has that, plus a few others that are essentials in the kitchen.

    Although the photo shows my vintage Corelle pitcher, I own and highly recommend a colorful Fiesta disc pitcher. It holds a little over a half gallon - perfect for this recipe. And the Art Deco style is never out of style.

    Storage

    Store iced tea lemonade in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

    Iced tea lemonade can also be poured into ice cube trays and frozen. Use iced tea lemonade cubes instead of ice to enjoy your iced tea lemonade undiluted.

    Top Tip

    Be gentle with the tea bags, especially when they're wet. A torn tea bag will cause your iced tea lemonade to have tea leaves in it. It's not harmful, but it's not pretty, either.

    FAQ

    What is iced tea and lemonade called?

    A blend of iced tea and lemonade is called many things. It is often called an "Arnold Palmer", after the legendary golfer who made it popular, but it's also known as a "half and half", or "half lemonade half tea". Or you can simply call it "lemonade iced tea" or "iced tea lemonade".

    How much caffeine in iced tea lemonade?

    It depends on the type of tea you use and how strong you make it. Steeping tea longer will increase the caffeine. Here's what you can expect from a standard tea bag for different types of teas:
    Black tea = 47-55 mg
    Green tea = 20-45 mg
    White tea = 6-60 mg
    Chamomile tea = 0 mg
    Peppermint tea = 0 mg

    Related

    Looking for another drink recipe? Try this:

    • ginger lime mocktail
      Ginger Lime Mocktail

    Pairing

    These are my favorite dishes to serve with Iced Tea Lemonade:

    • vegetable dip on tray with assorted vegetables and pretzels
      That Good Dip
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      Grilled Turkey Burgers
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      Greek Salad
    two crystal glasses of lemonade iced tea with lemon garnish and tea pitcher in background.

    Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer)

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 88kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 lemon more for garnish, if desired
    • 8 cups water divided
    • 5 tea bags I use black tea.
    • ⅓ cup sugar To reduce the amount of sugar, use equivalent amount of sugar-free sweetener.
    • ½ cup powdered lemonade drink mix I use Country Time.

    Instructions

    • Place sugar and two cups of water in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then add tea bags.
    • When water boils, remove from heat and let tea steep for six minutes.
    • While preparing tea, place remaining six cups of water in 64-ounce pitcher.
    • Juice lemon into water in pitcher.
    • Add lemonade drink mix. Stir until dissolved.
    • Remove tea bags from saucepan and add tea to pitcher.
    • Fill glass with ice and pour lemonade iced tea over ice. Garnish with fruit and/or herbs and serve.
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.1mg

    Equipment

    All-Clad D3 3-Ply Stainless Steel Sauce Pan 1 Quart Induction Oven Broiler Safe 600F Pots and Pans, Cookware Silver
    All-Clad Sauce Pan, 1 qt
    All-Clad 1 qt sauce pan
    Kitchen Wooden cooking spoon Wooden Spoons Mixing Baking Serving Utensils 12,12, 14 and 16 inches - Set of 4
    Wooden Spoons Set
    wooden spoon set
    Fiesta 67-¼-Ounce Large Disk Pitcher, Lemongrass
    Fiesta Disk Pitcher, 67.25 oz
    67 oz Fiesta pitcher
    Manual Juicer Citrus Lemon Squeezer, Fruit Juicer Lime Press Metal, Professional Hand Juicer Kitchen Tool(Yellow)
    Manual Citrus Juicer
    hand citrus juicer
    Breville Citrus Press Pro Electric Juicer, Stainless Steel, 800CPXL
    Breville Electric Citrus Juicer
    Breville citrus press
    Godinger Glass Dublin Iced Beverage, Set of 4, 16 Ounce Capacity
    Iced Tea Glasses Set, 16 oz
    Godinger iced tea glasses

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    Food safety

    Food safety is always so important. Here are a couple health and safety tips that apply to this recipe, especially if you are preparing other items at the same time.

    • Always refrigerate iced tea lemonade at a temperature between 32 and 41 degrees F.
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
    • Wash hands before preparing food or drinks, and always after touching raw meat.
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
    • Never leave cooking food unattended.
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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    Hi, I'm Kim! I was a personal chef and custom caterer for many years. I retired from being a business owner, but I still love to make food for people and dogs. Here I can share the best recipes with you, and we can yap about stuff.

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