The Arnold Palmer ranks pretty highly among the eternally enjoyable drinks of summer. The simple combination of half iced tea and half lemonade has refreshed generations of thirsty individuals on and off the golf course. But if you’ve been sipping an Arnold Palmer summer after summer, you may be ready for something a little more dynamic than the inoffensive flavors you’ve grown accustomed to. The best way to punch up your Arnold Palmer this summer is to include one extra ingredient — ginger. The root is the secret to an easy at-home upgrade, impressing imbibers and expanding your own summertime beverage palate.
Not only does ginger add a bit of gusto to whatever dish or beverage it embraces, it also adds a subtle warming flavor, which is perfect for late-night porch-sipping. Ginger is also renowned for its health properties, containing antioxidants that help prevent cellular damage, offer nausea relief, reduce bloating, and contribute to increased digestive health overall. But most importantly, the flavor of ginger adds depth and zest to the humble Arnold Palmer.
How to add ginger to your Arnold Palmer
The question of how best to add ginger to your Arnold Palmer is as simple or as complex as you make it. To get it just right, consider preparing your own ginger syrup at home. This requires nothing more involved than crafting a little stovetop simple syrup using sugar and water, then cooking the ginger root within before straining out the root when you’ve reached your desired flavor intensity. Adding a drizzle into your Arnold Palmer is sure to lend it a little extra zing. You can also buy pre-made ginger syrup if you know you’re going to be making a lot of these this summer.
Other ways to incorporate ginger can involve the tea component of your Arnold Palmer. Many teas feature ginger to begin with, so crafting an Arnold Palmer made of lemonade and iced ginger tea is an easy shortcut to a zingier beverage. Other quick additions (you’ll notice that adding ginger to your Arnold Palmers tends to be quite easy) include adding a splash of ginger beer or even ginger ale to your lemonade-and-iced-black-tea combo. These ginger-forward Arnold Palmers are also perfectly suited to serve as the base for easy summer cocktails, pairing well with both vodka and whiskey. Don’t know where to start? Try adding stem ginger to your spiked Arnold Palmers for just a subtle touch of this electrifying upgrade.
