How To Make A Better Arnold Palmer

One of the first posts on this blog explained my fascination with cherry limeades that pre-dates my Arnold Palmer affection.  I wrote of the benefits of pitching every table a “mean cherry limeade.”  Eventually, I even posted my recipe for a cherry limeade.  A funny thing happened with my most recent job change.  I was no longer able to offer cherry limeades.

My current restaurant does not have a bartender during the lunch shift.  This means that the two servers on the floor are responsible for making their own drinks and monitoring the front door.  It is impractical to be squeezing juices to order for a large table while greeting the front door and serving half of a restaurant.  This led me to seek out a specialty drink that I could make quickly with only standard ingredients.  I found the perfect drink in my “mean Arnold Palmer.”

So today I wanted to demonstrate, in video format, how to make my “mean Arnold Palmer”

The great part about serving an Arnold Palmer is the number of great one-liners that it allows for.  Here are some of my favorites:

“I make an Arnold Palmer so good they had to name a golfer after it.”

“I’ve been making Arnold Palmers so long I call them Bobby Joneses”

“My Arnold Palmer is well under par.”

“Everyone else at the table is having an Arnold Palmer.  I will give you a mulligan if you want to reconsider.”

“I know I champion the Arnold Palmer, but I am open to making other drinks.  I just have this one masters err mastered.”

“A lot of people get tired after a big lunch, but the Arnold has just enough kick to keep you out of that trap.”

No one should ever have to sit through all of those jokes in rapid succession.  One joke you should avoid is calling an Arnold Palmer with alcohol a “John Daly.”  Many guests, including myself, find this incredibly tacky.  It is overused and in poor taste to mock someone with a substance abuse problem.  If the guest makes the joke, you should give the courtesy laugh.  Never run the risk of offending your table by making the joke at the table.

I would recommend revisiting my original cherry limeade post to learn why you should be offering this drink to every table.  I am always looking for new drink combinations.  What are some of your favorites?  Would you like to see more video posts like this one?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts with everyone.

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