The Lemonades: Blueberry Lavender, and Raspberry & Mint - so refreshing!

Lemonade.

Even the word sounds refreshing, doesn't it? Simple, real lemonade is surprisingly easy to make - and I'll give you a basic recipe in a minute. That recipe can be made to sing and dance too, and that's the reason I'm so excited to be writing this blog post today. Old-fashioned lemonade is going to twist and shout!

Real Lemonade  - the old-fashioned, really yummy kind.

Equipment:

2-quart pitcher, long handled spoon, measuring cups, paring knife, juicer, teaspoon, glasses

Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons (Don't have lemons? Try combinations of other citrus  fruits, decreasing the sugar a little bit with oranges).

3/4 cup sugar (or a little more to your taste)

2 quarts (2 liters) water

Make the lemonade:

1. Wash the lemons, slice in half and juice them, removing the seeds from the juice with the teaspoon if necessary. 

2. Put the juice and the sugar in the pitcher, fill the pitcher with water to about half, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then continue to add water to fill the pitcher completely. 

3. Chill, pour over ice, or do as I do and drink it right away anyway. Simple, right?

Now, let's dance:

Blueberry-Lavender Lemonade

The subtle flavors of blueberries and lavender combine in a simple syrup to create a fruity, sweet, slightly floral flavor that mixes well in many drinks, but especially so in slightly tart lemonade. The blueberries tint the lemonade a party-pink too. Fun!

Equipment:

bowl, small saucepan, fine strainer or sieve, 2-quart pitcher, long handled spoon, measuring cups, paring knife, juicer, teaspoon, glasses

Ingredients:

For the simple syrup: 

equal parts sugar and water - I used 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water

1 cup blueberries

2 Tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds

For the lemonade:

juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup blueberry-lavender-flavored syrup

1/3 cup sugar (or up to 1/2 cup if you want a sweeter lemonade)

2 quarts (2 liters) water

Begin by making the simple syrup, which can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. I used one cup of sugar and one cup of water which yielded 1 1/2 cups flavored syrup, enough for 3 batches of lemonade. 

Make the syrup:  

1. Place the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a slow simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. 

2. When the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the blueberries and the dried lavender buds. Mash the berries as they soften in the hot liquid, then steep in the saucepan until the mixture is cool. If you wish to have a stronger-flavored syrup, cover the pan and steep for 6-8 hours or overnight.

3. Pour through a strainer into a small pitcher or bowl, pushing the fruit and lavender into the strainer mesh to squeeze out the remaining liquid. 

4. Use 1/2 cup syrup for each 2-quart pitcher of lemonade; store the remaining syrup in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Make the lemonade:

1. Wash the lemons, slice in half and juice them, removing the seeds from the juice with the teaspoon if necessary. 

2. Put the lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of reserved syrup, and the sugar into the pitcher, fill the pitcher with water to about half, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then continue to add water to fill the pitcher completely. 

3. Serve chilled. Garnish with lemons, frozen blueberries, and/or mint leaves. 

Raspberry & Mint Lemonade

Raspberries have to be my all-time favorite fruits - except of course for mulberries, but that's another story.

Raspberries are sweet-tart, juicy, and their flavor blends beautifully with mint and with the tartness of lemons. You don't even have to make a simple syrup to use these berries, but warming them with a bit of sugar will help release the juices. You'll need to make a little mint tea too, so be ready to scrunch up the mint leaves and make both your hands and your kitchen smell amazing.

Equipment:

heatproof bowl, fine-mesh strainer, 2-quart pitcher, long handled spoon, small saucepan, measuring cups, paring knife, juicer, teaspoon, glasses

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh raspberries (if you use frozen raspberries, you'll only need about 3/4 cup)

Fresh mint leaves (about a handful, or 1/2 cup tightly packed leaves)

1 cup boiling water

juice of 2 lemons 

3/4 cup sugar (or a little more to your taste)

a little less than 2 quarts (2 liters) water

Make the lemonade:

1. Measure the sugar and set aside. 

2. Place the raspberries into the saucepan, sprinkle about one Tablespoon of the reserved sugar over them, add one - two Tablespoons water and begin to warm them over medium-low heat. As the berries begin to simmer, crush them with the back of a spoon and simmer gently until they are very liquid. Do not boil. Remove from the heat.

3. While the berries are warming, crush the mint leaves in your hands, place in the heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling water over them. Allow them to steep at least 10 minutes or until cooled completely.

4. Now you can assemble the ingredients into the pitcher: wash the lemons, slice in half and juice them, removing the seeds from the juice with the teaspoon if necessary. Place the lemon juice and the reserved sugar into the pitcher. Pour the mint tea into the pitcher through the strainer, catching the mint leaves. Discard the leaves.

5. Carefully place the warm, crushed raspberries and liquid in the strainer  - over the pitcher or another bowl - and push against the berries, squeezing the juices through the strainer into the pitcher. Continue to do so until no more juice slips through the strainer. Discard the berries - or do as I do and eat them! If you have strained into another container, add the raspberry juice to the pitcher.

6. Fill the pitcher with water to about half, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then continue to add water to fill the pitcher completely. 

5. Chill. Pour into glasses over ice as desired and serve with garnishes of lemon slices, mint, and raspberries as you wish. The lemonade will be party-pink and taste of raspberries with a hint of mint. So delicious!