How Arnold Palmer Gave His Name to His Signature Drink

2 minute read
By Lily Rothman

Arnold Palmer, who died on Sunday at 87, seemed to be born for golf: his father was a pro at the Pennsylvania club where he learned to play. And, even as his heyday faded into the past, he kept playing — dozens of tournaments a year, even after more than a decade had passed since his last major tournament victory. In fact, he didn’t retire until 2006.

But, despite being one of the most recognizable figures in the history of golf, that won’t be all he’s remembered for. Palmer also gave his name to the mixture of iced tea and lemonade that even non-golfers love.

According to legend, the drink’s name goes back to the 1960s. It was already a favorite drink of Palmer’s at the time — as related by Brad Brewer in Mentored by the King: Arnold Palmer’s Lessons for Golf, Business, and Life — a woman happened to overhear Palmer asking a Palm Springs, Calif., waitress to mix him one. She asked for the same, referring to it as “that Palmer drink.” The rest was refreshing history.

Arnold Palmer: Rare and Classic Photos of Golf's Superstar Everyman

Arnold Palmer in a familiar pose -- with a cigarette -- in 1962. The golf legend quit smoking for good in 1970 -- an achievement he ranks with his best.
Arnold Palmer in a familiar pose -- with a cigarette -- in 1962. The golf legend quit smoking for good in 1970 -- an achievement he ranks with his best.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The surest touch in golf is transmitted through palmer's outsized biceps, wrists and hands. His great strength enables him to drive farther than most pros and helps get him out of uncomfortable situations in the rough. This strength gives him stamina to keep the pressure on round after round.
Caption from LIFE. The surest touch in golf is transmitted through palmer's outsized biceps, wrists and hands. His great strength enables him to drive farther than most pros and helps get him out of uncomfortable situations in the rough. This strength gives him stamina to keep the pressure on round after round.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, "the relentless man of sport…"
Caption from LIFE. Arnold Palmer, "the relentless man of sport…"John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Caption from LIFE. In home workshop Palmer grinds, inspects, repairs tools of his trade. Palmer's search for perfection keeps him tinkering with equipment.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
In father-and-son match Arnold waits while Milfred Palmer, his first teacher tees off at Oakmont, Pa. Country Club" in 1962.
Caption from LIFE. In father-and-son match Arnold waits while Milfred Palmer, his first teacher tees off at Oakmont, Pa. Country Club" in 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer and family, 1962.
Arnold Palmer and family, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer and his admiring fans, 1962.
Arnold Palmer and his admiring fans, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer 1962
Caption from LIFE. Despite his mastery of shots, Palmer sometimes feels compelled to help out with body English, as in playoff round of the '62 Masters, which he won.GEORGE SILK
Arnold Palmer walking at the Masters in 1962.
Arnold Palmer walking at the Masters in 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Crowd watching Arnold Palmer at the 1962 Masters Tournament.
Crowd watching Arnold Palmer at the 1962 Masters Tournament.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Crowd following Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Crowd following Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer, 1962.
Arnold Palmer, 1962.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Working a sideline which adds to biggest income in golf, Palmer signs autographs at stand filled with his products at a Wheeling, West Va., course.
Caption from LIFE. Working a sideline which adds to biggest income in golf, Palmer signs autographs at stand filled with his products at a Wheeling, West Va., course.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Palmer would later lend his name and image to branded iterations of the drink, but the Arnold Palmer story is about more than just a tasty beverage and a branding opportunity.

After all, it takes more than one simple “I’ll have what he’s having” to turn a generic soft-drink request into a widely recognized nickname. (The complicated story of the Shirley Temple is proof.) The popularity of the Arnold Palmer drink speaks to the popularity of the golfer himself. At the time, Palmer was known for his legions of fans, who had a nickname of their own: Arnie’s Army. It was the widespread and dense network of followers that helped spread the drink nationwide.

Palmer’s fans were so numerous and so dedicated — he could draw thousands of spectators to a tournament — that they were sometimes a distraction from the game itself. But their presence spoke to what made Palmer special and why, decades later, he has remained synonymous with his sport. As TIME put it in a 1960 cover story about the athlete:

Win or lose, Palmer, with his daring, slashing attack, is fun to watch. He is a splendidly built athlete (5 ft. 11 in., 177 Ibs.) with strength in all the right places: massive shoulders and arms, a waist hardly big enough to hold his trousers up, thick wrists, and leather-hard, outsized hands that can crumple a beer can as though it were tissue paper. Like baseball buffs, golf fans dote on the long-ball hitter; they pack six deep behind the tee to gasp in admiration as Powerman Palmer unwinds to send a 280-yd. drive down the fairway. Coldly precise in his study of the game, Palmer is anything but stolid during a round: he mutters imprecations to himself, contorts his face, sometimes drops his club and wanders away in disgust at a botched shot. On the greens, bent into his knock-kneed stance, he tries to sink long putts when many pros would prudently try to lag up to the cup. Says Palmer: “I guess I putt past the pin more than most anybody. I always like to give it a chance. Never up, never in, you know.”

Read TIME’s 1960 cover story about Palmer, here in the TIME Vault: For Love & Money

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com