When you become a regular at one of your favorite chains, you start realizing there are clever ways to customize the available food and drink options. Maybe you even start seeking inspiration out on social media, because while you love what’s already on offer, who can deny the fun of creating new items just to your liking? You can learn menu hacks at Red Lobster, or secret menu ideas for Olive Garden, and suddenly your best-loved orders are even more interesting. We rounded up 16 ordering hacks at Panera, and one of our favorites consists of playing with the endless possible upgrades on a classic beverage: the Arnold Palmer. The Arnold Palmer boasts a golf-centric history and a delicious, refreshing combination of iced tea and lemonade.
It’s already open to interpretation because you can mix those two at any ratio you like, but at Panera, you can really get inventive with the formula. In the past, we’ve ranked Panera’s pre-made drinks, and plenty are quite tasty. But the move at this chain is to get a fountain drink. All you have to do is choose your size, get your cup, and enjoy limitless (within reason, naturally) visits to the fountains during your visit. Each time, you can try a different Arnold Palmer twist with varying proportions and any of Panera’s flavored lemonades and iced teas. This hack appeals to Arnold Palmer fans as well as those of us who want to get a little creative at the fountains without venturing into less-healthy soda territory.
Arnold Palmer upgrade ideas at Panera
Panera has what would be the closest to a classic lemonade variety with its Agave Lemonade, which is made with lemon juice, agave nectar, sugar, and water. The chain also has a straightforward black Iced Tea. These are your neutral starting points: Together, they’d create a traditional Arnold Palmer. But the chain also has a Blueberry Lavender Lemonade, Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea, Passion Papaya Iced Green Tea, and Raspberry Iced Tea from Brisk.
The Agave Lemonade would be a simple and refreshing lemon base for adding any of the flavored iced teas, and the Blueberry Lavender Lemonade is a natural match for the Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea or Raspberry Iced Tea — you’d get floral, earthy botanicals mingling with sweet, tart fruit notes. You could even use two teas with the Agave Lemonade, as Passion Papaya and Pomegranate Hibiscus together would create a tropical profile. While outside of the Arnold Palmer’s typical lemonade and iced tea elements, Panera also has a Citrus Punch with blood orange yuzu, lemon, mango, and pineapple — a splash would bring even more island-inspired character to any of your combos.
Outside of the black Iced Tea, which has zero calories in a 20-ounce serving, and the Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea, which has 15 calories for the same serving size, these options range from 120 to 290 calories, so no additions would change your Arnold Palmer’s total too drastically. The Pomegranate Hibiscus is also the only tea without caffeine — something to keep in mind if you don’t need a pick-me-up with your creative beverage. After all, you might notice that Panera has discontinued its controversial Charged Lemonades.
