Arnold Palmer

noun

Ar·​nold Palm·​er ˈär-nᵊld-ˈpä-mər 

-ˈpäl-mər

: a cold beverage of iced tea mixed with lemonade

There are many shandies on the market, but not all are worth your time. Some are too sweet and lack any beer flavor. In this case, you might as well just drink an Arnold Palmer.

—Chris Osburn

"The idea for the combination struck me after a round of golf in the [California] desert in the early '60s," [Arnold] Palmer says. "I wanted something that would be refreshing and realized that lemonade would be a natural complement to iced tea, since most people add a lemon wedge to their tea." Word of this "invention" got around. "When I first started ordering the combination in Palm Springs," he explains, "a sharp waitress caught on that it was my regular drink after a round of golf and started calling it an Arnold Palmer. I guess the patrons started asking for it at restaurants, which helped the name spread."

—Ellen Ficklen

Word History

Etymology

after Arnold Palmer †2016, American professional golfer, who is alleged to have favored the drink

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above