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Not So Spiked Arnold Palmers

Everyone loves Arnold Palmers. You can make them a day in advance, and they taste great with a wide range of food, especially the usual game-day eats. The thing is, when you need some Sunday night football non-alcoholic options, adults want a little more than lemonade and tea in the evening.

Spiking Arnold Palmers with bourbon is a popular go-to. It gives the simple beverage a lot of complexity but if you're not too keen on alcohol or are simply scaling back, vanilla extract is an excellent substitution. The addition of alcohol-free vanilla extract imparts a flavor very similar to bourbon while keeping the beverage zero-proof.

Much like bourbon, it adds some sweetness and subtle vanilla notes that meld nicely with the acidity of the lemon juice and boldness of black tea minus the alcohol content. The key to nailing this beverage is high-quality ingredients. Use a good quality tea, fresh lemon juice, real honey and consider making your own alcohol-free extract with real vanilla beans if time permits.

Total Time: 2 hours

Active Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 6 

  • 3 cups brewed black tea, chilled

  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice

  • 1-2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

  • 2 tablespoons alcohol-free vanilla extract

  • Ice

Directions

  1. Add all the ingredients to a pitcher. 

  2. Stir well. 

  3. Serve over ice.