Iced Tea Lemonade
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Iced Tea Lemonade, (or an Arnold Palmer), is a refreshing beverage made with half iced tea and half lemonade. This homemade lemonade recipe is tart, tangy and sweet, which makes it the perfect drink for sipping on a hot summer day!
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What's an Arnold Palmer Drink?
This icy beverage was invented by a professional golfer named Arnold Palmer. He came up with the idea to add lemonade to his iced tea and frequently ordered it at local restaurants after a long day on the golf course.
His idea caught on, and many of his fans still ask for an Arnold Palmer drink whenever they can. Some folks also order this sweet tea lemonade by asking for a 'half and half'.
These days you can find a lemonade iced tea recipe at most cafes and coffee shops around town. Starbucks baristas are happy to mix up this summer beverage with equal parts of black tea and lemonade.
Even grocery stores sell this popular drink that Arnold Palmer discovered a long time ago! Now you can make it from scratch with just a few simple ingredients!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You'll love the flavor of this sweet tea lemonade recipe! It contains simple syrup which can be infused with fresh mint, lavender or basil. Or, you can keep it just like it is and serve it with plenty of lemon slices.
Herb flavored drinks such as Basil Lemonade are all the rage right now and really fun to make at home. Mint Tea lemonade is delicious, while Lavender Lemonade is an up and coming trendy drink.
With only a few ingredients and a little imagination, you can create your own lemonade recipes any time you like. Feel free to mix it up and use a variety of herbs to make a tasty new version!
Ingredients
While this is a simple recipe, the layer of flavor creates a refreshing drink that's perfect for summer months by the pool or beach.
See recipe card for quantities.
- fresh lemons
- family size black tea bags
- hot water
- granulated sugar
- ice
- mint sprigs, fresh basil or lavender for infusing
How to Make Simple Syrup
Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Once it starts to boil, stir until sugar dissolves and set aside. If desired, add a handful of fresh herbs to infuse flavor into the simple syrup. Remove the herbs with a spoon after they have wilted.
How to Make Iced Tea Lemonade
Make the tea by adding 2 black tea bags to a pot of boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes until it cools down a bit, then add to pitcher and give it a stir.
Juice lemons into a bowl using a lemon squeezer. Pour in the simple syrup from the saucepan and mix well. Add lemonade mixture to tea in the pitcher and stir. Add lemon slices and mint leaves.
Fill glasses with ice and pour lemonade iced tea over the top, filling up each glass to the rim. Garnish glasses with lemon slices and and mint if desired.
Adding Spirits
Serve Iced Tea Lemonade as a non alcoholic drink or add a splash of vodka, rum or bourbon for a spiked version.
You can make this beverage with or without alcohol and it tastes great either way. It's actually an awesome lemonade recipe all by itself.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, black tea is caffeinated, so there is definitely caffeine in this beverage. However, you are welcome to use a decaffeinated version if desired.
If you want to save time and don't want to make your own lemonade from scratch, feel free to use store-bought. I recommend using Simply Lemonade (ad) if you choose to go this route.
If you don't have a lemon squeezer (ad), then you'll need to squeeze the lemons by hand which is totally fine. Just cut lemons in half and squeeze into a bowl. Be sure to remove any seeds. However, a lemon squeezer will make your life a lot easier if you have a chance to buy one!
Expert Tips
- Be sure to use plenty of ice to keep ingredients cold.
- Use tall glasses or mason jars for a fun twist.
- Grow your own herbs and freeze in ice cubes for an Herbal Iced Tea Lemonade whenever the urge strikes!
- Everyone likes a different amount of sweetness. Start with 1 cup of simple syrup and taste to see how you like it before adding the other ½ cup of simple syrup.
- If you like your tea stronger, use more tea bags.
- The ice melts into the tea and lemonade. If needed, add extra cold water to fill the pitcher.
- For calculation purposes, I used a 10 cup pitcher for this recipe.
Variations
- Add minced ginger to 'sass' it up a little.
- Try green tea, chamomile, raspberry tea, or peach tea for a different flavor combination.
- Add raspberries, blackberries or strawberries to take your lemonade iced tea to the next level!
More Tasty Beverages
This lemony beverage makes summer last all year long. Try these other tasty drinks that you'll also love!
Recipe Card
Iced Tea Lemonade
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- 1 large pitcher
- 1 lemon squeezer
Ingredients
BLACK TEA
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 family size tea bags
LEMONADE
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 large lemons (squeezed)
- 2 cups ice (for chilling)
GARNISH
- lemon slices (for garnish)
- fresh mint, lavender or basil (optional flavor infuser)
Instructions
BLACK TEA
- Bring water to boil in a large saucepan on stove. Add tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes while making lemonade.
- Remove tea bags after 10 minutes and let tea cool down. Add to a large pitcher and stir.
LEMONADE
- In a saucepan on medium heat, add sugar to boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved to make a simple syrup. Add fresh mint or basil if infusing. If not, proceed to next step.
- Juice lemons into a bowl using a lemon squeezer. Pour in the simple syrup from the saucepan and mix well.
- Add lemonade mixture to tea in the pitcher and stir. Add lemon slices and mint leaves. Stir in cups of ice which will melt down into water. Add more ice as needed.
- Fill tall glasses to the top with ice.
- Pour Iced Tea Lemonade over ice in tall glasses.
- Garnish glasses with lemon slices and mint leaves if desired.
Notes
- Everyone likes a different amount of sweetness. Start with 1 cup of simple syrup and taste to see how you like it before adding the other ½ cup of simple syrup.
- If you like your tea stronger, use more tea bags.
- The ice melts into the tea and lemonade. If needed, add extra cold water to fill the pitcher.
- For calculation purposes, I used a 10 cup pitcher for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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Great to have this recipe for an Arnold Palmer. I always wondered how to make it.
Yum! I can't wait to make a big pitcher of this lemonade iced tea! Looks amazing!
Yay! Let me know what you think!