Arnold Palmer (drink)

The Arnold Palmer, also known as the half and half, is a non-alcoholic beverage that combines iced tea and lemonade. The name refers to the professional American golfer Arnold Palmer, who was known to often request and drink this beverage combination; some attribute the invention of the beverage to the golfer.

There are two alcoholic cocktail versions, one is the John Daly which has vodka and the other is the Lee Trevino which has tequila. MillerCoors began marketing and distributing a commercially available malt-based version of the beverage under the Arnold Palmer Spiked name in early 2018.

History

In 2012, an ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts documentary was produced on the drink, featuring Palmer, beverage experts, a group of PGA golfers and comedian Will Arnett discussing the drink's history and popularity. In the film, Palmer attributes the spreading of the drink's name to an incident in which a woman copied his ordering the drink at lunch after a long day of designing a golf course in Palm Springs, California during the late 1960s, saying "I'll have that Arnold Palmer drink, too." Palmer preferred three parts unsweetened tea, to one part lemonade, but when mixed equal parts tea and lemonade, the drink is sometimes called a Half & Half.

According to a waitress at Augusta National Golf Club, Palmer ordered his namesake beverage by saying, "I'll have a Mr. Palmer." When Palmer visited the Latrobe Country Club in his hometown, the staff at the snack shack served the beverage to him or his wife, Kit, without prompting. "Mr. Palmer should never have to order the drink named after him," wrote a former snack shack employee about the club's rules.