Pineapple Black Tea Lemonade — Cold Brew Arnold Palmer

🍍 The Refresher · Iced Tea

Pineapple & Black Tea Lemonade

This pineapple black tea lemonade cold brew is a tropical spin on the Arnold Palmer — cold brewed black tea, tart lemonade, and a caramelized pineapple simple syrup that makes the whole drink taste like someone planned ahead. (You did. Barely. Doesn't matter.)

The Tropical Arnold Palmer You Didn't Know You Needed

• The pineapple syrup is caramelized in a dry pan before it simmers — that extra step takes it from sweet to something genuinely interesting.
• Cold brewed tea means no bitterness, no waiting for hot tea to cool down, and a cleaner flavor that doesn't fight the lemonade.
• The whole thing comes together in about ten minutes of active time. The fridge does the heavy lifting overnight.

The Java Momma Twist: The tea base is everything in an Arnold Palmer, and Tiffany's Breakfast Tea cold brewed is the right call here — it's a bold Irish Breakfast blend of Assam and Ceylon that has enough structure to hold up against tart lemonade and sweet pineapple without disappearing. Cold brewed overnight, it comes out smooth and clean with none of the bitterness you'd get from hot-brewed tea that's been cooled down. Want to go full tropical? Coco Nuttea on Ice cold brew pods drop a layer of creamy coconut underneath the pineapple and lemon and make the whole drink taste like a better version of somewhere warm.

What You'll Need

For the Pineapple Simple Syrup (make this first — stores up to 10 days):

• 1½ c. fresh pineapple, sliced into thin spears or half-circles
• ¼ c. brown sugar
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• 1 T. maple syrup
• ⅔ c. water

For the Cold Brew Tea Base:

• 10g Tiffany's Breakfast Tea (or 1 Coco Nuttea on Ice cold brew pod for the coconut variation)
• 4 cups cold filtered water

To Build the Drink (per serving):

• 6–8 oz. cold brewed tea
• 2–4 oz. lemonade
• 1–2 T. pineapple simple syrup
• Crushed ice
• 1 oz. bourbon, optional
• Fresh pineapple slice for garnish, optional

How To Make It

Cold brew the tea overnight. Make the syrup while it brews or up to 10 days ahead. Assembly takes two minutes.

Step 1 — Cold Brew the Tea

1. Steep and chill. Combine 10g Tiffany's Breakfast Tea with 4 cups cold filtered water in a pitcher or jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 12. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer before using. Using a Coco Nuttea cold brew pod instead? Drop one pod into a quart of cold water and cold brew the same way — no measuring needed.

Step 2 — Caramelized Pineapple Simple Syrup

1. Slice for searing. Cut pineapple into thin spears or half-circles — you want pieces that can lie flat in the pan and make contact with the surface.
2. Sear dry. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pineapple directly to the dry pan — no oil, no liquid. Let it sear undisturbed until it picks up color and starts releasing its juice, then flip each piece at least once. You're looking for golden-amber caramelization on the edges.
3. Simmer the syrup. Once the pineapple is caramelized, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup, and water. Stir to dissolve the sugars and bring to a low boil over medium heat.
4. Reduce and strain. Simmer 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into an airtight container — press gently on the solids to extract all the syrup.
5. Save the solids. The strained pineapple isn't garbage — it's caramelized and sweet. Spoon it over vanilla ice cream or pound cake. Store syrup in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Step 3 — Build the Drink

1. Ice first. Fill a tall glass or mason jar with crushed ice to about two-thirds full.
2. Syrup and tea. Spoon 1–2 T. pineapple simple syrup over the ice, then pour in 6–8 oz. cold brewed tea. Stir gently to combine.
3. Top with lemonade. Pour 2–4 oz. lemonade over the tea. The lemonade will layer slightly before you stir — let it settle for a second if you want the visual, then stir to combine.
4. Optional: add bourbon. If you're making the cocktail version, add 1 oz. bourbon before the final stir. Garnish with a fresh pineapple slice and put your feet up. You've earned it.

Swaps & Permission Slips

• Want the coconut variation? Swap in a Coco Nuttea on Ice cold brew pod for the Tiffany's Breakfast Tea. One pod, one quart of cold water, cold brew the same way. The coconut adds a creamy tropical layer that plays beautifully with the pineapple syrup.
• No fresh pineapple? Canned pineapple in juice works for the syrup — drain it first and pat dry before searing so it actually caramelizes rather than steaming. The caramelization step is still worth doing.
• Want it less sweet? Start with 1 T. of the pineapple syrup and taste before adding more. The syrup is on the sweeter side and the lemonade adds tartness — find your balance.
• Making a pitcher instead of one glass? Cold brew a full quart of tea, make a batch of syrup, and mix to taste in a large pitcher. Keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days — add lemonade per glass rather than to the whole pitcher to prevent it going flat.
• Bourbon preferences? A wheated bourbon (softer, slightly sweet) plays nicely here. If you're skipping the alcohol entirely, a splash of sparkling water instead of the bourbon adds a little effervescence without the kick.

Made this one? Tiffany's Breakfast Tea is a loose leaf blend — cold brewed, hot steeped, or iced. Available by the ounce so you always have enough for a pitcher. Fresh blended to order, every time.

Want the coconut version? Coco Nuttea on Ice cold brew pods are grab-and-go — drop a pod in cold water tonight, have tea ready by morning.

More recipes like this one are at The Menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a pineapple Arnold Palmer?

A pineapple Arnold Palmer is a tropical variation on the classic iced tea lemonade drink — cold brewed black tea and lemonade with pineapple simple syrup added for sweetness and a fruity, tropical lift. The original Arnold Palmer is half iced tea, half lemonade; this version adjusts the ratio toward the tea side and adds the pineapple syrup as the sweetener rather than plain sugar, which changes the flavor profile considerably.

Can you cold brew black tea for iced tea lemonade?

Yes — and for a drink like this, cold brew is the better method. Hot-brewed black tea that's been cooled can carry a slight bitterness from tannins that compete with the lemonade and the sweet pineapple syrup. Cold brewing extracts the tea more slowly and gently, resulting in a smoother, cleaner flavor with no bitterness. For Tiffany's Breakfast Tea, 10g of loose leaf in 4 cups cold water for 6–12 hours in the fridge is the ratio.

How do you make pineapple simple syrup from scratch?

The key step that sets this pineapple simple syrup apart is searing the pineapple in a dry pan before adding liquid — no oil, no sugar yet, just fresh pineapple in a hot pan until it caramelizes and releases its juice. That dry-sear caramelization adds depth that plain pineapple-steeped syrup doesn't have. Then add the sugars and water, simmer 7–10 minutes until slightly thickened, strain, and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 10 days.

What's the right ratio of tea to lemonade in an Arnold Palmer?

The original Arnold Palmer ratio was three parts iced tea to one part lemonade — tea-forward with lemon as an accent. The popular modern version is closer to 50/50. This recipe sits closer to the original at 6–8 oz. tea to 2–4 oz. lemonade, because the pineapple syrup is adding sweetness that the lemonade doesn't need to carry. Start with less lemonade and adjust to your taste.

What's the difference between Tiffany's Breakfast and Coco Nuttea in this recipe?

Tiffany's Breakfast is a bold Irish Breakfast blend — Assam and Ceylon — that cold brews into a clean, structured tea with enough body to hold up against tart lemonade and sweet pineapple without getting lost. It's the classic Arnold Palmer base. Coco Nuttea on Ice is Sri Lankan black tea with creamy coconut flavor, which adds a tropical coconut layer underneath everything else and makes the drink taste more like a vacation. Same technique either way — it's just a question of which direction you want to go.

Can I add bourbon to this pineapple tea lemonade?

Yes — 1 oz. added after the lemonade, stirred in before serving. A spiked Arnold Palmer with bourbon is sometimes called a John Daly (named after the golfer). The pineapple syrup plays particularly well with a wheated bourbon — something softer and slightly sweet rather than a high-rye that might compete with the fruit. If you're skipping the alcohol entirely, a splash of sparkling water gives a little effervescence in its place.