Lemonade!

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It’s hit at least eighty degrees here in Louisville for the past three days, so I’m making some lemonade this week. Thought I’d share some recipes that I plan to try.

Lavender Flower Lemonade

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (or to desired sweetness)
  • 10 sprigs of fresh lavender
    2 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice (preferably from Meyer lemons)
Bring half of the water (2 1/2 cups) and all of the sugar to a boil. Add the lavender, boil for one minute, then remove from heat. Cover the pot and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of cold water and the lemon juice; stir well. Taste for sweetness and add sugar or lemon juice as needed. Pour the mixture through a strainer to remove the lavender and any lemon seeds. Fill glasses with ice and serve.
Pink Lavender Lemonade
  • 2 1/2 cup Distilled water
  • 1 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 6 large Strawberries — hulled OR 1/4 cup Pink hibiscus flowers — dried
  • 1/4 cup Lavender leaves — chopped OR 1 Tbsp Dried Lavender flowers
  • 2 1/2 cup Distilled water
  • 2 1/4 cups lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Sugar — optional
  • Fresh lavender flowers-for garnish

In medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups water, sugar and hibiscus flowers (or hulled strawberries). Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes to extract pink from flowers. Remove from heat. Stir in lavender leaves. Cover and cool. Strain cooled herb liquid into large pitcher or jar (if using strawberries, gently press juice from berries.) Add remaining 2 1/2 cups water and lemon juice. Stir well. Add 1/2 cup more sugar, if desired. Just before serving, add ice cubes. Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with lavender flowers.

 

Red Hibiscus Lavender Sipping Lemonade

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 6 to 8 fresh (or 1/4 cup dried) pesticide-free red hibiscus
  • 6 sprigs fresh lavendar leaves (or 1-2 tsp. dried lavendar blossoms)
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)

In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer uncovered for two to three minutes. Meanwhile, trim the pistil and calyx (green and pollen parts) from the hibiscus flowers. Add the hibiscus and lavender to the simmering syrup. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until cool. Strain syrup into large pitcher. Add 2 to 3 cups of water and lemon juice to taste. Serve 6 to 8 over ice with lavender garnish.

 

Ruby’s Lemonade with Lavender and Rosemary
Found in Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert (Berkley Publishing Group, ISBN: 0425170322)
  • 1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
  • 2 cans water
  • 2 cups lavender-rosemary tea
  • Sugar or honey to taste

To make lavender-rosemary tea, pour just-boiling water over 2 tablespoons lavender blossoms and 2 tablespoons dried rosemary. Let steep for 5-7 minutes, strain. Prepare lemonade, diluting with 2 cans of water. Add the lavender-rosemary tea and serve over ice.

 

Indian Style Lemonade (as in “India”, not “Native Americans”) Yield: 8 servings

  • 8 c -Water
  • 1 1/3 c Maple syrup
  • 1/2 c Fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tb Freshly grated ginger
  • 2/3 c Fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 ts Cayenne, optional

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Source: “Vegetarian Times” July, 1993 from: Mark Satterly

 

Scented Geranium Lemonade

Adapted from The Herbfarm Cookbook, by Jerry Traunfeld.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

We serve this refreshing drink at summer festivals at The Herbfarm. I make the syrup in huge stockpots and mix it up with lemon juice and water in giant 5-gallon bottles. Here’s how to make a small batch.

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 cups water
  • 8 scented geranium leaves
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Syrup: Bring the sugar and 2 cups of the water to a boil in a small (1-quart) saucepan. Add the geranium leaves, cover, and remove from the heat. Let the syrup steep for at least 30 minutes.

Finishing: Strain the syrup into a pitcher. Stir in 1/2 cup lemon juice and the remaining 4 cups water. Taste and add more lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Herb Substitutions: In place of the geranium leaves, use 2 tablespoons fresh lavender buds, 6 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, 1/2 cup fresh mint sprigs, or
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves.

 

Rosemary Lemonade

  • 1/2 cup sugar 6 cups water, divided
  • 6-8 springs fresh rosemary
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS: Bring the sugar & 2 cups water to a boil in a 1 quart saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Add rosemary, cover & steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain the syrup into a pitcher & stir in the lemon juice & 4 cups of water. Adjust lemon to taste by adding additional juice. Chill. Serves 6.

 

Ginger Lemonade

Makes 20 servings

  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 4 quarts water
  • 14 slices fresh ginger root
  • 4 cups fresh lemon juice
  • 2 lemons, sliced

In an 8-quart saucepan combine sugar, water and ginger root. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Cool 15 minutes. Remove ginger. Refrigerate lemonade at least 1 hour, or until chilled. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

 

Blue Lemonade

I’m sure you have heard of pink lemonade, but blue lemonade? They are actually quite similar in flavor, but the color is what makes this lemonade special. If you prefer, you can use all blueberries or blackberries if that is what you have on hand. Either fresh or frozen berries work well in this recipe. For a more dramatic color, simply add a few drops of blue food coloring. This lemonade can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days before serving.

4 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Zest and juice from 6 large lemons
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries

Mix together 2 cups of the water and the sugar in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat and cook for five minutes, or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly. Mix in the remaining water, lemon zest and juice. Remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature. Puree the blackberries and blueberries in a food processor or blender. Add the berries to the lemonade mixture and let sit for at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours at room temperature. Strain well to remove the seeds and skin from the berries. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Sitting Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes

 

Hot Pink Lemonade

This is not your grandmother’s lemonade! This vibrant hot pink lemonade is full of great flavor and wonderful color. It is great for tea parties, picnics, and showers and is very easy to make. To serve a larger crowd, make in small batches and combine in a punch bowl. If serving immediately make sure that all of the ingredients are chilled.

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt

Combine the watermelon and raspberries in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and return to the food processor, discarding the seeds and other solids. Add the remaining ingredients and process until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Chill if desired until ready to serve.

Makes 6 servings.

 

For a simpler lemonade that incorporated watermelon:

Watermelon Lemonade

Servings: 6

  • 8 cups coarsely chopped watermelon flesh (seeds removed)
  • 1 bottle (7-1/2 oz) frozen lemon juice, thawed
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Working in batches, combine watermelon, lemon juice and sugar in blender; puree until smooth. Pour through fine strainer into pitcher, pressing with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Serve over ice.

 


Herb Lemonade

This recipe comes from one of a charming series of little books, typeset by hand by the rural private press at Blo’ Norton Hall, Norfolk (Blo’ Norton Hall, near Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2JD). A Little Book of Recipes for Cooking with Herbs costs 80p, when you can find it locally but, if not, say the publishers, send them ��1 and they’ll post it to you.

For two:

��� 4 oz sugar
��� 3 lemons
��� 1/2 pint boiling water
��� 2 large sprigs lemon balm
��� handful borage leaves
��� borage flowers

Pare the rind thinly from the lemons and add, with the sugar, to the boiling water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add the chopped leaves of lemon balm and the borage. Let this stand until cool, then add the freshly squeezed juice of the lemons. Stir well, strain and chill.

Dilute to taste with chilled or soda water and garnish with the borage flowers.

 

Fresh Plum Lemonade
Serving Size : 8
  • 6 small plums, halved and pitted (about 1 lb.)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 bottle (7 1/2oz) frozen lemon juice, thawed

In blender, combine plums, sugar and 2 cups water; puree until smooth. Pour through fine strainer into pitcher, pressing with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in lemon juice and 4 cups cold water. Serve over ice.

Agua de Pepino (Cucumber Lemonade)

  • 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
  • 1 lemon
  • 5 c water
  • Sugar to taste

Add cucumber and water to a blender and puree. Strain. Add juice of lemon and sugar to taste. Serve over ice.

To go even simpler:

Cucumber Lemonade

  • 1 seedless (English) cucumber, peeled and finely shredded
  • 2 quarts lemonade

Grate the cucumber into the pitcher of lemonade. Stir well. Garnish glasses with a thin cucumber slice or very thin slices of both cucumber and lemon slit and placed on the rim.

Icy Hard Pink Lemonade

2 cans frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1 large bottle chilled soda water
1 bottle chilled Tanqueray gin
1 cup chilled cranberry cocktail
Lemon slices
Ice cubes

Mix lemonade concentrate with soda water. Add cranberry cocktail and gin. Stir and pour into tall ice filled glasses. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and serve with straws and a silly grin.

 

Enjoy!