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ESPN film tackles "The Arnold Palmer" drink
By Alex Myers
Golf was pretty much forgotten during ESPN's critically-acclaimed series of documentaries, dubbed "30 For 30." In the network's second go-round of films, though, the sport is finally in the spotlight. Well, sort of...
A new "30 For 30 Short" on Grantland.com tackles the topic of Arnold Palmer, but more specifically, the drink that bears his name. With comedian Will Arnett as a host and interviews with Palmer, other pro golfers and random people in the street, the video addresses the history of the iced tea-lemonade concoction.
Some interesting tidbits come from the video, including when Arnie first thought up the drink and how it started to "spread like wildfire." And then there are the stats concerning the drink that has been distributed by AriZona Beverage Co. since 2002 -- something that has only added to Palmer's wealth. For 10-straight years, sales have increased by more than 10%, and the company will sell 400 million units in 2012.
And because it never gets old, here's the classic ESPN commercial in which SportsCenter anchors Scott Van Pelt and Stuart Scott watch in awe as Palmer makes one of his signature drinks in the company's cafeteria:
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In recent years, an "Arnold Palmer" mixed with vodka has become known as a "John Daly." Unlike Palmer, however, Daly has not embraced having a beverage in his name.
Of course, Palmer probably wasn't the first person ever to think mixing iced tea with lemonade would be a good idea, but he clearly made it popular. He's also very clear on how he thinks it should be made.
"Oh, iced tea has the dominant side. That dominates the drink," Palmer says at about the 3:30 mark of the film. "If it doesn't, then it really isn't right."
Hey, when The King speaks, you listen.