Arnold Palmer spent more than 6 decades shaping modern golf, collecting 62 PGA Tour victories, winning 7 major championships, and becoming one of the 1st global sports personalities in the television era. Fans copied the way he dressed, the way he carried himself, and, without even realizing it, the way he refreshed himself after a long day. One of those small personal habits would eventually become one of the most recognizable drinks in America: the simple mix of iced tea and lemonade that now bears his name.

The moment that pushed the drink into the public’s vocabulary came in the late 1960s. Palmer was in the Palm Springs area working on a course design when he stopped for lunch and casually asked the waitress for a blend of iced tea and lemonade. A woman at a nearby table overheard him and said, “I’ll have that Arnold Palmer drink.” That ordinary exchange marked the first time the combination was spoken of as his drink.

But the habit itself wasn’t new for him. Back home at Latrobe Country Club, Palmer often returned from hot summer rounds and asked his wife, Winnie, to mix iced tea with a splash of lemonade. It became part of his daily rhythm. Friends, staff, and guests at Latrobe grew familiar with the blend long before it was ever known to the public.

By the 1960s, Arnold’s influence stretched far beyond the fairways. Fans looked up to him, copied his habits, and followed his lead in small ways. As “Arnie’s Army” grew, so did the popularity of his tea-and-lemonade combination, carried across the country by the culture surrounding his success.

The mixture eventually moved from personal ritual to commercial product. In 2001, Arnold Palmer Enterprises partnered with industry professionals and reached an agreement with the AriZona Beverage Company. The beverage already carried a strong sense of Americana, and once it hit the shelves, its sales climbed rapidly year after year.

More than 50 years after that first casual order in Palm Springs, the Arnold Palmer® beverage now generates nearly $200 million a year. A humble mix of tea and lemonade, once made in a home kitchen in Latrobe, has become one of the most enduring and profitable drinks in American culture.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Joyita Das