Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Arnold Palmer: A True Legend

As a tribute to Arnold Palmer's passing this week, I wanted to talk about one of the most iconic men in the sport of golf, winning 95 tournaments and 7 majors (the first to have this type of success in the sport). He was an inspiration to Tiger Woods, Phil Michelson and many other great, amazing golfers that are seen on TV today. Some people may not even know Palmer as a golfer, but I'm sure they have tried his drink at least a few times.

This drink, known  as "The Arnold Palmer", has an interesting origin story that I thought I would share. The concept of the Iced Tea/Lemonade mixture that seems to be so common nowadays all started when a young Arnold Palmer came back home after working on the golf course. His wife, Winnie, was preparing lunch for the family and as part of that lunch, iced tea was served. Mr. Palmer told his wife to make a normal batch of the iced tea, but requested "a splash of lemonade" be added to the drink "to see what happened." He loved it so much when he tried, he decided to take this drink with him on the golf course and ordered it at many of the restaurants he visited. At one of these restaurant visits, a woman overheard him ordering an iced tea with a third of lemonade it in, his usual specifications for the drink. The woman was overheard saying, "I want want he's having, I want an Arnold Palmer." The rest is history. After being trademarked, the rights to this iconic drink were sold to the Arizona Beverage Company in 2002. By 2010, the drink had exceeded $100 million in sales.

When asked how he felt about ordering the drink in restaurants after the rise in popularity of the drink, he said he felt odd because he would request the drink to his specifications, and the bartender would immediately ask, "Oh, an Arnold Palmer?" To think this drink would become one of the most popular beverages of the Arizona Brewing Co., a simple mixture of lemonade and iced tea, is astonishing. How could nobody else come up with something this simple? It is a testament to the legacy of Arnold Palmer (what other athletes have a drink named after them? A Michael Jordan? A Tom Brady? They just don't have the same ring to it).

Arnold Palmer completely changed the game of golf. He brought massive audiences to the game at a time when golf was barely even regarded as a prime sport. He is as iconic as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, or Peyton Manning, if not more. This man will be missed for his style of golf, and the demeanor with which he carried himself. He was a family man, and enjoyed the success he earned. The world lost a great man this past weekend, but he will always be remembered as the man that allowed golf to become what it is today.

For my personal favorite as a do it yourself variation of The Arnold Palmer:

60% unsweetened iced tea
40% lemonade
Stir and Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts: https://www.drinkarizona.com/product/arnold-palmer-made-with-real-sugar

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/28/how-arnold-palmer-invented-the-arnold-palmer/1732613/
http://www.today.com/food/how-arnold-palmer-came-iced-tea-lemonade-drink-bears-his-t103263



Image result for Arnold Palmer now and then

(1929-2016)

No comments:

Post a Comment