If you don’t know what an Arnold Palmer is, let
me tell you that it is a refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage made up of equal
parts iced tea and lemonade. I am not a fan. When I drink iced tea I want to
drink it in its purest form. I want to taste every tea leaf that went into the
making of that glass of iced tea. I feel the same way about lemonade. I don’t
want anything mixed in to alter the fresh, delicious, citrus taste.
But, when I made that big batch of homemade lemonade earlier in the week, I realized that I was going to have
to find other ways in which to use it because I'd made A LOT! I started out by
trying different flavors of daiquiri; they were quite good. Then I stumbled
upon this recipe on Epicurious. It didn’t sound at all good to me, and there
were only two reviews, but those reviews were so positive, and considering
the amount of lemonade I had left over, coupled the amount of tea that I always
have on hand, I figured what could possibly hurt?
I did not have plain vodka, only Maple Bacon and Whipped
Cream, so I went with the latter. I was shocked at how delicious and refreshing
this cocktail was! I am not kidding you when I tell you that this is my
favorite summer cocktail so far this year. I cannot help but think that part of
that goodness is owed to the Whipped Cream vodka, but don’t go out and buy a
bottle if you have plain vodka on hand. Just know, that to be taken all of the
way to heaven, you’re going to need the Whipped Cream variety.
The taste is phenomenal; it is cool, refreshing, and way too easy
to guzzle the entire thing. The beauty of this is that you can make it up ahead
of time, store each component (the boozy iced tea and the boozy lemonade) in
separate containers in the freezer until you’re ready to make these. Or, if you
use Mason Jars in
which to serve them, like I did here, you
can make up individual cocktails, secure the lid*, and shove them into the
freezer to hang out until you’re ready to put them on a tray and deliver them
to guests who will soon be in your debt. You absolutely must try these. You
must!
Frozen Boozy Arnold Palmer
Slightly adapted from epicurious.com
8 black tea bags (I used Luzianne)
5 tablespoons sugar** (optional)
3 1/2 cups homemade lemonade, divided
1 cup Whipped Cream vodka, divided
Lemon wheels (for garnish)
Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove
from heat and add tea bags and sugar (or not). Let steep 4 minutes. Discard tea
bags and let cool slightly (you should have about 3 1/2 cups tea).
Divide 3 cups tea between 2 ice cube trays; chill remaining 1/2
cup tea. Divide 3 cups lemonade between remaining 2 ice cube trays; chill
remaining 1/2 cup lemonade. Freeze until solid, 3–4 hours.
Blend lemonade ice cubes, 1/2 cup vodka, and 1/2 cup lemonade in
a blender until smooth. Transfer to a spouted liquid measuring cup or pitcher.
Rinse blender jar and add tea ice cubes and remaining 1/2 cup tea and 1/2 cup
vodka; blend until smooth.
Tilt a large glass to one side and fill halfway with lemonade
mixture. While slowly returning glass to upright position, pour in frozen tea
mixture to fill glass and create a swirl.
Garnish with lemon wheels.
Ice cubes can be made 3 months ahead. Transfer to resealable
plastic bags and keep frozen.
*Be sure to leave at least ½” headspace at the top to allow for
slight expansion during freezing. Because of the alcoholic content, this will
not freeze solid.
**I did not add the sugar and the cocktail was wonderful. Save
yourself some calories here and forget it.
This post is linked to:
Thursday
Favorite Things
Funtastic Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create
Funtastic Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create
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