Oops! I Think I Like Blueberry Lemonade!
What is summertime without a cold glass of homemade lemonade? A couple years ago through a kind of funny event, I decided that my favorite lemonade was made with blueberries. I was on my way to a celebration of life event and I had my 10 year old granddaughter with me. We stopped at Houlihan's Restaurant to grab a bite before heading out of town. It was one of those hot days! I mean the kind of hot where you got all dressed up and felt like a wilted, sweaty flower the minute that you walked out the door! As we walked in to the restaurant, I was anticipating the cold air that was about to slap me in the face when my eyes fell on a large sign outside their door that was advertising a cold, frosty blueberry lemonade. I glanced at the picture and although I don't usually order lemonade at restaurants, I decided that today was my day and one of those cold luscious looking drinks had my name on it. My granddaughter and I placed our orders and it wasn't but a minute that that beautiful glass of blueberry lemonade was sitting right in front of me! Now, I have to say that often things don't look as good when you get them as they do in the pictures, but this frosty glass looked even better than advertised! I slurped down a few sips and no, I was not disappointed at all! I offered my sweet little granddaughter some and told her that it was the best ever! The sweet taste of lemons and blueberries filled my mouth! Now this was a summertime drink that I would need to incorporate into my recipe file at home, I thought. Our waitress quickly brought our food and after a few bites, I didn't feel so well. I told my granddaughter that something was really wrong with my head. Now, I guess I forgot to tell you that I don't drink alcoholic drinks. I haven't for about 27 years now. As I sat there and my head got cloudier and cloudier, I wondered whether or not I would be able to go to the celebration of life service at all. The waitress brought the bill and when I saw the price of the blueberry lemonade, the mystery became clear. The drink was made with blueberry vodka and I hadn't even read the menu. I was so naive and thought that it was just blueberry lemonade. The spike part had never occurred to me! Well, I sat there until I felt better and felt a bit embarrassed. My 10 year old granddaughter chuckled and asked if she should drive us home. Although I still don't use the alcohol, I have incorporated blueberry lemonade into my list of favorite summertime drinks. You can add what you want but I have included a recipe and list of my favorite add-ins.
5 Lemons
1 1/4 Cups White Sugar
1 1/4 Quarts Water
Desired Fruit
Summertime Lemonade
- Peel the rinds from the 5 lemons and cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Set the lemons aside.
- Place the rinds in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let this stand for about one hour, so that the sugar begins to soak up the oils from the lemons.
- Bring water to a boil in a covered saucepan and then pour the hot water over the sugared lemon rinds. Allow this mixture to cool for 20 minutes and then remove the rinds. This is a good time to add any additional fruit for flavoring that you desire. I even throw the fruit and water mixture into the blender at this point.
- Squeeze the lemons into another bowl. Pour the juice through a strainer into the sugar mixture. Stir well, pour into pitcher and refrigerate! Serve over ice and enjoy!
Some of my favorite add-ins are:
Blueberries, oranges, cucumbers, mint, raspberries, and it is always wonderful to add lemon wedges and whole berries for garnish!