Arnold Palmer interview and a Q&A to kick off the 2009 Palmer Cup to be held at Cherry Hills Country Club. The tournament will offer up the the best collegiate golfers from Europe to play against the best golfers from the United States.
Leave it to Arnold Palmer to be self-deprecating about the drink that carries his name.
He may not have been the first person to combine iced tea and lemonade, but without Arnold Palmer, how would people have ordered it? Now, on the day after his death at the age of 87, Palmer is being remembered for a legendary golfing career and personality that popularized and commercialized the game. That illustrious career coincided, happily, with a time when TV was taking hold and among the many, many things Palmer is being lauded for, one of the coolest is the beverage that carries his name.
He got the idea, he said in an “ESPN 30 for 30″ short, one day when his late wife, Winnie, made iced tea and inspiration struck like a thunderbolt.
“My wife made a lot of iced tea for lunch, and I said, ‘Hey, babe, I’ve got an idea. You make the iced tea and make a big pitcher, and we’ll just put a little lemonade in it and see how that works.’ We mixed it up, and I got the solution about where I wanted it and I put the lemonade in it. I had it for lunch after working on the golf course. I thought, ‘Boy, this is great, babe. I’m going to take it when I play golf. I’m going to take a thermos of iced tea and lemonade.’ ”
It was addictive and, one day in the 1960s, it became “the Arnold Palmer.”
According to his website, Palmer requested the drink after a hot day of golf in Palm Springs. This being Arnold Palmer, he merely ordered the drink by description. He wasn’t about to say, “I’ll have a me.” A woman seated nearby thought that sounded refreshing and drew everyone’s attention when she requested “an Arnold Palmer.”
“I was embarrassed to ask for an Arnold Palmer,” the golfer said. “I’d always say, ‘Can I have an iced tea and put about a third of it in lemonade. They said, ‘Oh, you want an Arnold Palmer!’
“I won’t fight the battle anymore. I’ll just ask for an Arnold Palmer [and] think maybe they won’t know who I am.”
Fat chance of that.
Arnold Palmer Enterprises and the AriZona Beverage Company have been selling the drink in cans that feature his name and face since 2001. They use a “half and half” approach, which seems a little off from his description of two parts iced tea to one part l
emonade, but it’s a recipe. That means you can alter it to taste, but Palmer was adamant that “iced tea has the dominant side.” And if it doesn’t? “It isn’t really right.” His preference ran from one-fourth to one-third lemonade.
If yours runs to alcohol, Bon Appetit offers an “Arnie’s Gimlet Slush” concoction that gets rave reviews from The Post’s blog pod mixologist: Combine six ounces vodka, five ounces simple syrup, four ounces chilled brewed black tea and three ounces fresh lime juice with two cups ice. Throw into a blender, mix and drink. Drink again, probably.
By 2013, Palmer saw the humor in his little recipe for success. At the Masters, a waitress told NJ.com that “he leaned over and said, ‘I’ll have a Mr. Palmer.’ Then he winked.”
The Associated Press
This June 19, 1960, file photo shows Arnold Palmer pointing to his name on the press tent scoreboard showing his four-under-par total, for 72 holes, during the National Open golf tournament at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colo. The most famous U.S. Open comeback began with a question from Arnold Palmer in 1960 at Cherry Hills in explaining how he could rally from a big deficit.
The Associated Press
Arnold Palmer rips off his hat as he drops the final putt that gave him the National Open championship in Denver, Colo. in this June 18, 1960 photo. "I was seven strokes back and really pumped up, ready to go," Palmer recalled. Palmer was voted 33rd of the top 100 athletes of the century by a selected panel assembled by The Associated Press.
Rick Collier, Associated Press file
Arnold Palmer tosses his cap on the 18th green after winning the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado.
The Associated Press
President of the USGA John Clock presents the U.S. Open trophy to Arnold Palmer, left, at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado on June 18, 1960.
Paul Vathis, The Associated Press
In this Sept. 9, 1960, file photo, President Dwight Eisenhower, right, enjoys a laugh with Arnold Palmer before they played a round of golf together in a foursome at the Gettysburg Country Club, Gettysburg, Penn. Former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose passion for golf helped to boost its popularity after World War II, was selected Friday, June 26, 2009, to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He will be the first U.S. president in the Hall of Fame when he is inducted posthumously Nov. 2 at the World Golf Village.
The Associated Press
FILE - In this June 17, 1962, file photo, Jack Nicklaus right, and Arnold Palmer turn to leave the 18th green at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., after Nicklaus won the U.S. Open golf tournament in a playoff. The epic 1962 U.S. Open, a pivotal moment in one of golf's most celebrated rivalries, is what the USGA delivered producer Ross Greenburg to create a one-hour documentary. This is the 50-year anniversary of Nicklaus' playoff win for the first of his record 18 major championships. "Jack's First Major" will be the first USGA film shown on network television, broadcast by NBC Sports on June 17 before its final-round coverage of the U.S. Open.
The Associated Press
Arnold Palmer, left, U.S. Open and Masters champion, chats with his wife Winnie and father, Milford "Deke" Palmer at the first tee before starting second round play in the British Open Golf Tourney at St. Andrews, Scotland, in this July 7, 1960 photo. A two-hour documentary by The Golf Channel titled ``Arnold Palmer: Golf's Heart and Soul,'' premieres Oct. 28.
The Associated press
Popular veteran golfer Arnold Palmer is shown at Cherry Hills Country Club following a lengthy press conference, Tuesday, June 14, 1978, Denver, Colo. He is a sentimental favorite in this years U.S. Open, scheduled to start on Thursday having won that title in 1960, the last time the Open was held at Cherry Hills.
Brian Brained, The Denver Post
Arnold Palmer tees off from the second hole during the opening round of PGA golf championship at Cherry Hills Country Club & Golf Course in 1985.
Curtis Compton
Arnold Palmer hits the first shot to begin the 75th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 8, 2011.
Scott Audette, The Associated Press
Tiger Woods, left, is helped into the his jacket for winning the Bay Hill Invitational by tournament host Arnold Palmer in this March 18, 2001 in Orlando, Fla. The Bay Hill Invitational has become a boon for Woods, who can make history this week by becoming the first player on any tour to win the same tournament five straight years. From the time his streak began in 2000, Woods is 65 under par at Bay Hill and has won his four titles by a combined 20 strokes.
Gene J. Puskar, The Associated Press
Golf legend Arnold Palmer starts his round at the 66th Semiro PGA Championship at Laurel Valley Golf Club, in Ligonier, Pa., Thursday, May 26, 2005.
Phelan M. Ebenhack, The Associated Press
Tiger Woods, left, and Arnold Palmer share a laugh during the trophy presentation after Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Monday, March 25, 2013.
John Leyba, The Denver Post
Arnold Palmer interview and a Q&A to kick off the 2009 Palmer Cup to be held at Cherry Hills Country Club. The tournament will offer up the the best collegiate golfers from Europe to play against the best golfers from the United States.
Stew Milne, The Associated Press
Golf legend Arnold Palmer tees off at the 15th hole of the Rhode Island Country Club during the first round of the CVS Pharmacy Charity Classic in Barrington, R.I., Monday, July 9, 2001.
Matthew Thayer, The Associated Press
Arnold Palmer reacts after his drive off the Wailea Gold Course's third hole finds a bunker Sunday, Jan. 5, 2006, during pro-am play of the Champions Skins golf tournament in Wailea, Hawaii.
Chris O'Meara, The Associated Press
In this March 23, 2014, file photo, Arnold Palmer talks during a news conference before the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla. Golf Channel has spent more than a year producing what might be the most important project in its 20-year history a three-part documentary on golf's most endearing figure. "Arnie" will be shown on three consecutive nights beginning April 13, the night after the final round of the Masters.
Ben Stansall, AFP/Getty Images
Winner of The Open in 1961 and 1962, US golfer Arnold Palmer plays from the 1st tee during the Champion Golfers' Challenge on The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, on July 15, 2015, ahead of The 2015 Open Golf Championship which runs July 16-19. 28 Seven groups of four Champion golfers with a combined 46 victories in golfs oldest Championship, compete in a four hole challenge, the winnings going to the charity of the winning team's choice.
Amy Sancetta, The Associated Press
Arnold Palmer, winner of four Masters championships and making his 50th appearance, gives the thumbs up to spectators at the third green during practice for the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA., Tuesday, April 6, 2004. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
The Associated Press
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This June 19, 1960, file photo shows Arnold Palmer pointing to his name on the press tent scoreboard showing his four-under-par total, for 72 holes, during the National Open golf tournament at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colo. The most famous U.S. Open comeback began with a question from Arnold Palmer in 1960 at Cherry Hills in explaining how he could rally from a big deficit.