Summer is here!
There’s just something about the DC summer heat that makes ice cold lemonade so very good! Here’s a look at a simple 3-ingredient recipe for classic lemonade plus three additional fruit infused alternatives that are equally as refreshing. Whether it’s just a casual afternoon at home, or you’re having guests over – grab a pitcher and try your hand at one of these recipes.
Classic Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 quarts of water
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 7 lemons)
Instructions
In a large pot heat water and sugar while stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Garnish with lemon wedge and serve chilled over ice.
Blackberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 ½ quarts of water
- ¾ cup of white sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ( approx. 7 lemons)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries ( approx. 15 blackberries)
Instructions
In a large pot heat water and sugar while stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Chill. Puree blackberries in a blender with 1 tbsp of water. Stir into chilled lemonade. Garnish with a fresh blackberry and serve chilled over ice.
Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 ½ quarts water
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 4 lemons)
- 5 to 6 cups of watermelon, cubed
- 2 sprigs of mint
Instructions
In a pot on high heat, bring sugar and water to a light boil until the sugar is dissolved and your mixture is clear—this will be your simple syrup. Turn off the heat and toss in the sprigs of mint. Allow mint to steep for 15 minutes, then remove it from your simple syrup and discard sprigs. Allow mint-infused syrup to cool for about 10 minutes and then pour into your blender with the watermelon. Blend until smooth and then pour mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher to get rid of any unwanted seeds or pulp. Add lemon juice to the pitcher and stir. Serve immediately over ice with a sprig of mint for garnish.
White Peach Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 ½ quarts water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 7 lemons)
- 3 cups white peaches, chopped (approx. 6 peaches)
Instructions
Place chopped peaches, water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Allow to cook down, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then run through a blender until pureed. Pour peach mixture through a fine sieve and place in refrigerator until chilled. Meanwhile, juice your lemons. Once the peach mixture has chilled in your pitcher, add lemon juice. Garnish with lemon wedge and serve chilled over ice.
Festive Ice
For a little something extra, add any of these infused ice cubes to your lemonade. The flavors and herbs will infuse into the drink as your ice melts. Even if you’re not making lemonade, these infused cubes make a pretty addition to a glass or pitcher of sparkling water.
What you’ll need
- Ice cube tray
- Water
- Herbs/Florals of your choice (rosemary, mint, lavender or small flowers)
Note: Be sure that whatever you add to your ice cubes can be safely ingested.
Instructions
Fill the ice cube tray halfway with water, add in flowers or herbs, and then freeze. After frozen, cover them with more water and freeze again. Doing this in two steps prevents the flowers or herbs from floating to the top of the water before the ice cubes freeze.
