Golf legend Arnold Palmer mixed this drink before each of his 62 PGA Tour wins. Our riff on his classic recipe with smooth black tea, tart lemon, and masala chai.
1 | STEEP TEA.
Arnold used black tea. For optimal smoothness and a fuller body, we opt for GAO WEN, a whole leaf black tea from Yunnan. Add 4 grams of tea to your steeping vessel, and steep in 110 grams of hot water (about 4 ounces) for 3 minutes.
2 | DECANT AND MIX.
Pour finished tea over 90 grams ice (3-4 cubes; ice should melt slightly). Add .25 oz lemon juice (half a tablespoon), .75 oz chai concentrate, and .50 oz simple syrup (alternatively, melt cane sugar into tea when steeping). Mix vigorously. This will yield 8 oz of liquid.
3 | FINISH.
Fill a 16 oz glass with ice, layering slices of fresh or dried lemon. Pour over tea mix. Garnish with bruised thyme sprig (slap it!) and a thin sliver of fresh lemon.
For a no-chai version Arnold would recognize,
use 6 grams of tea, 120 grams of water, and .75 ounces of simple.