Make A Batch Of Spiked Arnold Palmers For The Easiest Crowd-Pleasing Cocktail

The classic Arnold Palmer drink combines the richness of iced tea with the tartness of lemonade. This eponymous nonalcoholic beverage, so named after the famed golfer, is a classic summer soft drink taking two great porch-sippers and mixing them into one super-refresher. Not only can it be batched to make an excellent punch, it is also an ideal mix for spiking — that is, turning it into a crowd-pleasing cocktail suitable for safely imbibing.

An ideal ratio for a standard Arnold Palmer is one that favors just slightly more iced tea than lemonade. For a single-serving recipe, around ¼ cup lemonade to ½ cup iced tea will suffice. Plain black tea and freshly squeezed lemonade is ideal, especially in a single-serving format so you can properly gauge the amount of sweetener you wish to add. For a larger batched version of the drink, around six cups of tea to four cups of lemonade is a good starting off point to which you can then add almost any spirit you wish, depending on what flavors you want to evoke with your cocktail mixture. For batching, you may choose to go with pre-made tea or lemonade for convenience.

When it comes to spiking your batched Arnold Palmer cocktail, selecting the right liquor to match the mood you're going for is vital. If you choose a bourbon or whiskey to mix into your drink, it will definitely hit well with the lemonade flavor, creating a concoction reminiscent of the Lynchburg lemonade cocktail made popular by Jack Daniel's. If vodka is your typical go-to, adding that will conjure up the taste of a lemon drop martini, the acidic citrus of which will be pleasantly cut by the inclusion of iced tea.

Adding gin may have a similar feel to a prohibition-era Bee's Knees cocktail. Rum will give more of a tropical tiki taste, if that's your preference. And the cocktail known as El Arnoldo already answers the question, "How would tequila taste with an Arnold Palmer?" Spoiler alert: it's excellent.

Serving suggestions for this lovely spiked punch are countless. For one, try mixing up some lemon sugar for rimming individual glasses. Similarly, tossing a stick of rock candy into each glass will add both an extra bit of sweetness and something for your party guests to stir around and munch on as the candy dissolves. Even something as simple as a toothpick speared through a lemon wedge and Luxardo cherry will elevate this batched cocktail to luxury status. Any way you choose to mix and dress up this spiked Arnold Palmer cocktail, be sure to enjoy it and drink responsibly.