Monday is the first official day of fall! I know a lot of you are still feeling some of that lingering summer heat, especially in the south. Make a big batch of this incredibly easy, refreshing Spiked Arnold Palmer, then gather round with your friends on your favorite patio/porch/park to savor the last of summer. We all know (and love) that now classic combo of tea and lemonade…and it’s ripe for spiking with vodka.
You could always go buy a big bottle of tea and a big bottle of lemonade to do this as quickly as possible, but going the homemade route is not only easy but it’s also soooo much more delicious! I would definitely say the juice is worth the squeeze. Literally 😉 Brewing your own tea gives you control over the quality and flavor of it, squeezing your own lemons ensures the freshest lemon flavor, and making a simple syrup is the easiest (and probably the most overlooked) way to up your homemade cocktail game.
spill the tea!
Cold Brew vs Hot Brew
If you’re short on time, hot brew is the quickest way to make tea. It also makes a bolder flavored tea with maximum caffeine levels, but can be slightly bitter or astringent. Follow the directions on the tea packaging, but usually you’ll steep the tea leaves or bags in almost boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then remove the tea bags or strain the tea leaves.
But if you have the time (or are making a big batch!), cold brew is the way to go. It yields a sweeter, smoother tea with zero bitterness. To make a big batch of cold brew, steep tea bags or loose leaves in cold or room-temperature water and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, then strain or remove the tea bags.
Make it for a Crowd
This is a really easy cocktail to scale up and make for a crowd! If you’re using fresh lemon juice instead of store bought lemonade (highly recommended!), many nicer grocery stores will have cold pressed fresh lemon juice in the refrigerated produce section. I buy it like this from Wegmans. Do NOT use the lemon juice that’s in the room temperature juice section – it’s not going to taste the same!
As for serving, I really love using this big pitcher, which holds 96 fl oz, or a dispenser like this so guests can easily serve themselves. You can even use a dual dispenser set like this so guests can mix their own desired ratios of lemonade and iced tea. Just be sure to evenly divide the vodka between the two dispensers if you go that route and clearly mark that it’s for adults only if any kids are around.
I recommend serving it chilled alongside a bucket of ice for guests to scoop into their own glasses so it doesn’t get watered down. For a 96 oz pitcher (10 servings), here are the ratios of ingredients to use – note that on the recipe card, you can also click the plus button beside the number of servings to get the ratios that fit in your pitcher:
- 50 fl oz tea
- 15 fl oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 15 fl oz vodka
- 12.5 fl oz simple syrup
The two-tone look of the drinks in the pictures is thanks to mixing the simple syrup with the lemon juice only, and the vodka with the tea only. Then I poured the lemon juice/simple syrup into the bottom of the glasses, topped it with ice, and added the tea/vodka mix. The tea/vodka float on top of the thicker lemonade mix until you mix it all up with your straw.
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Spiked Arnold Palmer
Ingredients
- 10 oz strong brewed black tea
- 3 oz lemon juice
- 3 oz vodka
- 2.5 oz simple syrup
Instructions
- Add lemon juice and simple syrup to two highball glasses. Mix, then fill glass with ice.
- For a layered look, mix black tea with vodka, then pour over ice in the serving glasses. Garnish with lemon slices before serving with a straw.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
For my macro trackers out there, I wasn’t able to create a My Fitness Pal barcode for this recipe since I would have had to decide for you whether to put the alcohol calories in as carbs or fats – that’s up to you! The 15 grams of carbs listed here are just for the sugar in the lemon juice and simple syrup. For my non-macro trackers, here’s more info on what I’m talking about.
Check out the original photos of this recipe! My photography has improved just a little since 2019 😉
