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That’s the Spirit: Arnold Palmer Plus at Portico

When it comes to being Southern, I play the part pretty well. I love college football, I will eat anything you can fry (which is everything, by the way), and I end every sentence with “y’all.” However, I do not care for sweet tea. Blasphemy, I know.

During my recent visit to the newest location of Portico in the Southdowns Center, the PGA Championship was fresh on my mind, so the Arnold Palmer Plus caught my eye.

Traditionally, an Arnold Palmer is a mix of half lemonade and half tea. It’s namesake is the American golfer/baller Arnold Palmer who is said to have ordered it at the 1960 US Open so many times that other people started ordering “that Palmer drink.” I can only dream of a day when that happens to me. “Yeah, I’ll take a Rivers Hughey—and make it a double.”

Basically, if you pour a bit of Pinnacle Vodka in there, you have Portico’s Arnold Palmer Plus. If there is anything that can bring me over to the tea “dark side,” it’s Vodka and lemonade, so I gave it a shot.

It was touch-and-go for the first few sips, as I tasted nothing but tea. After a bit of stirring action, though, this drink really started to work. The lemonade and Vodka mixed well to mask the strong tea after taste, only leaving a hint of the flavor. Turns out the drink totally stole my heart.

Sipping on this smooth, refreshing cocktail while sitting on the porch during happy hour, I immediately felt capable of grabbing a bag of clubs and hitting some balls. Should I use my 3-iron here and hit it at the flag or no? Clearly, my golf knowledge is limited but my point is that the drink was exactly the kind of thing I’d want to be sipping as someone drives me around on a golf cart.

Good call, Mr. Palmer. Good call.

ARNOLD PALMER PLUS
(There are different variations on mix ratios. Also, if Vodka isn’t your thing, Bourbon works just fine.)

• Iced Tea
• Lemonade
• Vodka