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Recipe Detail Page
Twisted Palmer
Summer 2023
Named after the legendary golfer’s favourite clubhouse drink, the Arnold Palmer combines iced tea and lemonade in a 1:1 ratio. Here, we use gin-lemon slush and a bourbon-spiked frozen black tea (you could use purchased iced tea, but the colour contrast won’t be as dramatic) to create a drink you can swirl or layer in the glass. The technique might take a little practice, but the drink will taste delicious any way you pour it!
Makes 2 drinks
2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) black tea, such as English Breakfast tea, brewed strong
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) lemonade, store-bought or made from scratch
1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz bourbon
Jelly Lemon Wedges (recipe follows) for garnish
1. At least 1 day before serving, dissolve sugar in hot tea and thoroughly cool. Pour 2 cups (500 mL) into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Reserve extra tea in a sealed jar or container and refrigerate.
2. Pour 2 cups (500 mL) lemonade into ice-cube trays and freeze overnight. Reserve extra lemonade in a sealed jar or container and refrigerate.
3. When ready to serve, add lemonade cubes and gin to blender and blend on smoothie or milkshake setting, until a very thick, slushy consistency is reached. If needed, drizzle additional chilled lemonade through hole in the blender’s lid in a thin stream to achieve a thick icy consistency. Pour gin-lemonade slush into a measuring cup with pouring spout and put in freezer.
4. Add frozen tea cubes and bourbon to blender and blend on smoothie or milkshake setting, until a very thick, slushy consistency is reached. If needed, drizzle additional chilled tea through hole in the blender’s lid in a thin stream to achieve a thick, icy consistency. Pour bourbon-tea slush into a measuring cup with pouring spout.
5. For a swirled drink, tilt glass 45 degrees to one side and pour in half of gin-lemon slush. Slowly pour in frozen bourbon-tea as glass tilts back upright. Stir with a straw or knife.
6. Or, for a vertically layered drink, select a spatula or other thin partition that fits tightly in a rocks glass, upright across the diameter. Carefully pour gin-lemonade slush down one side. Pour bourbon-tea slush down the other side and carefully remove spatula or partition.
7. Garnish with a Jelly Lemon Wedge and serve.
Makes 2 drinks
JELLY LEMON WEDGES
Cut 1 large lemon in half crosswise. Using a paring knife and a grapefruit spoon, melon baller or small ice-cream scoop, carefully remove and discard lemon flesh and membranes, being careful not to pierce the peel of the lemon. Scrape inside of white membrane smooth and place each lemon half upright inside a small ramekin that holds it tightly. Prepare 1/2 cup (125 mL)—typically half a package—of lemon-flavoured jelly dessert according to package directions. Pour mixture into prepared lemon halves, discarding any extra jelly mixture. Chill until completely set. Cover set jellies with plastic wrap until ready to serve. To use as garnish, use a sharp paring knife to cut each half into 3 to 4 wedges. Refrigerate extra wedges in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or eat them as snacks.
