Tag: lemonade

SPARKLING FRUIT PUNCH

This Easy fruit punch is my go-to drink for every party and get-together. Super sweet, super fruity, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!

Every time I have served this fruit punch at a party, at least one person has asked for the recipe. It’s that good! It’s full of bold, fruity flavors with bubbly carbonation. The addition of the blended strawberries and bananas thickens the juice and gives it a smooth, creamy texture.

Not only is this juice amazingly delicious, but it’s also so easy to put together. It all comes together in under ten minutes! So it’s easy to serve at a casual backyard barbeque or dress it up with strawberries or fruit slices (lemon, lime, or pineapple slices) for a more formal get-together.

Looking for a more adult-themed beverage, add light rum or vodka to the fruit punch. Reduce the ginger ale to one liter and start with 3 to 4 cups of alcohol (you can always add more or less depending on your preference). You can also make the juice by following the instructions and then adding the vodka or rum to the individual glasses.

Sparkling Fruit Punch

This Easy fruit punch is my go-to drink for every party and get-together. Super sweet, super fruity, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 20 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 can (46 ounces) pineapple juice,
  • ¾ cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
  • 1 cup water, divided
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 large ripe bananas
  • 1 package (20 ounces) frozen unsweetened whole strawberries, thawed
  • 2 liters ginger ale, chilled
  • alcohol (optional), see notes

Instructions
 

  • In a punch bowl or large pitcher, combine pineapple juice, lemonade concentrate, ½ cup water, and sugar.
  • Place bananas, thawed strawberries, and remaining water in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Stir into the juice mixture.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  • Just before serving, stir in the chilled ginger ale.
  • **See notes for adding alcohol

Notes

Looking for a more adult-themed beverage, add light rum or vodka to the fruit punch. Reduce the ginger ale to one liter and start with 3 to 4 cups of alcohol (you can always add more or less depending on your preference). You can also make the juice by following the instructions and then adding the vodka or rum to the individual glasses.
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LILIKOI LEMONADE

A lemonade that will have you believing you stepped into paradise with one sip…Yes, it’s that good! Lilikoi Lemonade is a combination of tart and sweet with the distinctly bold, tropical flavor that lilikoi (passion fruit) is known for.

It’s fall in Hawaii, and though it certainly doesn’t feel like fall or look like fall – the air is not cool and crisp, there are no leaves changing colors or falling off the trees – fall here means the lilikoi, or passion fruit, are ripening and ready to harvest. The lilikoi season will go from late summer all the way through January. If you have never tasted lilikoi, you are missing out! Lilikoi is both tart and sweet with a very strong, unique, and amazing flavor! It’s the perfect fruit to make incredible tasting desserts, sorbets, and of course, lemonade!

We have quite a few lilikoi vines growing in our backyard. The vines are covered with beautifully unique flowers during the late spring and early summer! And the more flowers we see, the more fruit we will have to harvest in the coming months. I freeze most of the juice we get from the lilikoi, so we enjoy the fantastic flavor year-round – it really feels like we are spoiled sometimes! If you want to read more on lilikoi, you can find the information here.

For This Recipe:

The most important step (and really the only step) in creating great lemonade is making a simple syrup. Also referred to as “sugar syrup,” simple syrup is a liquified form of sugar commonly used to sweeten cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks. Because it is a liquid sweetener, it’s much easier to blend into cold beverages than regular sugar. For example, if you simply stirred granulated sugar into cold water and lemon juice, the sugar would sink to the bottom. As a result, you would end up with the top half of your drink being pucker-producing tart and the bottom being over-the-top sweet.

How do you make simple syrup?

Gently heat 1 cup of water with 1 1/2 cups of sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir the simple syrup occasionally to help with the dissolving. This should only take a couple of minutes. You don’t want the syrup to boil. If you do, it will evaporate too much water, and you run the risk of burning the sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove it from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the simple syrup, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of lilikoi juice into a pitcher. You’ll want to dilute the mixture with 4 cups of cold water, then allow your lemonade to chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. If it’s too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor your looking for. Keep in mind that you’ll be adding ice to your lemonade, and it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts.

Lilikoi Lemonade

A lemonade that will have you believing you stepped into paradise with one sip...Yes, it's that good! Lilikoi Lemonade is a combination of tart and sweet with the distinctly bold, tropical flavor that lilikoi (passion fruit) is known for.
4.75 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup lilikoi juice, if you are not using fresh, make sure it is unsweetened.
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 cups water, to dilute

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Juice enough lemons for 1 cup of juice. Typically, this would be 4 to 6 lemons. If using fresh lilikoi juice, juice enough lilikoi to equal 1 cup. **
    If you are using canned, bottled, or frozen lilikoi juice, make sure it is unsweetened.
  • Add the lemon juice, lilikoi juice, simple syrup, and a pinch of salt to a pitcher. Add 4 cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir well.
  • Refrigerate the lilikoi lemonade for 3-4 hours to completely chill.
  • To serve, add plenty of ice to the glasses. Pour over ice and serve.
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STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

What’s more satisfying on a warm summer evening than an ice-cold glass of homemade strawberry lemonade? It’s a perfect combination of tart and sweet that’s as refreshing as it looks!

Lemonade is a perfect summery drink. Made right, it’s sweet, flavorful, and refreshing. With all the fresh, ripe berries and other fruits available in the summer months, don’t limit yourself to basic lemonade. Experiment with other fruits or a blend of different fruits!

This recipe starts with my basic recipe for Simply Perfect Lemonade. It’s easy to build upon something that is already amazing, all on its own! I’ve taken this lemonade to a whole new level by adding blended strawberries. But don’t let your imagination stop there…peach lemonade, kiwi lemonade, mango lemonade…the possibilities are endless! Leave me a comment below and let me know what you create!

The most important step (and really the only step) in creating great lemonade is making a simple syrup. Also referred to as “sugar syrup,” simple syrup is a liquefied form of sugar commonly used to sweeten cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks. Because it is a liquid sweetener, it is much easier to blend into cold beverages than regular sugar. For example, if you simply stirred granulated sugar into cold water and lemon juice, the sugar would sink to the bottom. As a result, you would end up with the top half of your drink being pucker-producing tart and the bottom being over the top sweet.

How do you make simple syrup?

You gently heat 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir the simple syrup occasionally to help with the dissolving. This should really only take a couple of minutes. You don’t want the syrup to boil. You will evaporate too much of your water, and you run the risk of burning the sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove it from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

For the strawberries, slice about 2 cups of berries. Add strawberries and 1/4 cup water to a blender and puree strawberries until smooth. Add the simple syrup, lemon juice, and strawberry puree to a pitcher and stir. Add 4 to 5 cups of cold water to the pitcher and thoroughly chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I suggest starting with 4 cups and then sampling it. If it’s too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor you’re looking for. Keep in mind that if you are adding ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. My personal preference is to go with 4 cups of water. When serving the lemonade, I load the glasses with ice to get super refreshing, ice-cold lemonade. Garnish with sliced lemons and strawberries, and ENJOY!

Check out my other lemonade recipes to quench your summer thirst:

Simply Perfect Lemonade

Sparkling Lemonade

Lilikoi Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

What's more satisfying on a warm summer evening than an ice-cold glass of homemade strawberry lemonade? It's a perfect combination of tart and sweet that's as refreshing as it looks!
No ratings yet
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4-5 cups water, to dilute (this will vary depending on your taste)
  • 1 pint strawberries, sliced, (2 cups), (see notes)
  • ¼ cup water, to blend with strawberries
  • garnish with sliced strawberries and lemon wedge, optional

Instructions
 

  • Add the 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stir occasionally. Remove from heat.
  • Juice enough lemons for 1 cup of juice. Typically this would be 4 to 6 lemons.
  • Add the lemon juice and sugar mixture to a pitcher. Add 4-5 cups of water to the pitcher and stir well. **See notes
  • Add sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup water to a blender and process until smooth. Stir into lemonade.
  • Refrigerate the strawberry lemonade for 2-3 hours to completely chill.
  • To serve, add plenty of ice to the glasses, fill and garnish with sliced strawberries and lemon. (optional).

Notes

When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I suggest starting with 4 cups and then sampling it. If it's too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor you're looking for. Keep in mind that if you are adding ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. 
If you have questions on how many strawberries to use, basically 1 pint is about 2 cups sliced or quartered. You can find more helpful information here.
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SPARKLING LEMONADE

How do you make great lemonade even better? Make it bubbly! Kids and adults alike will love this simple twist on a classic!

This recipe starts with my basic recipe for Simply Perfect Lemonade. Adding one simple ingredient, lemon or lime sparkling water, gives this lemonade a fun, bubbly kick!

The star of any lemonade is the bright, sunny lemons. We have a dwarf Meyer lemon tree growing in our backyard. And most years, during the summer, it is heavy with the juiciest lemons we’ve ever seen! The amount of juice we get from one lemon is more than you’ll get from two to three store-bought lemons. We use what we can of the fresh lemons, but the tree produces more than we can reasonably use, so I juice the lemons and freeze the juice in a half-cup container. That makes it incredibly easy to pull out the exact amount of juice I need for a recipe. I don’t mind making lemonade with our frozen lemon juice, but nothing beats juicing fresh lemons!

The most important step (and really the only step) in creating great lemonade is making a simple syrup. Also referred to as “sugar syrup,” simple syrup is a liquefied form of sugar commonly used to sweeten cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks. Because it is a liquid sweetener, it is much easier to blend into cold beverages than regular sugar. For example, if you simply stirred granulated sugar into cold water and lemon juice, the sugar would sink to the bottom. As a result, you would end up with the top half of your drink being pucker-producing tart and the bottom being over the top sweet.

MAKING A SIMPLE SYRUP:

It really is quite easy. You gently heat 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir the simple syrup occasionally to help with the dissolving. This should only take a couple of minutes. You don’t want the syrup to boil, or you will evaporate too much of your water and risk burning the sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove it from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the simple syrup and 1 cup of lemon juice into a pitcher. You’ll want to dilute the mixture with cold water, then allow your lemonade to chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I suggest starting with 4 cups and then sampling it. If it’s too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor you’re looking for. Keep in mind that you will be adding sparkling water to the lemonade, and if you add ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. 

Do not add the sparkling water to the lemonade until you are ready to serve, or it will go flat. When ready to serve, put some ice in the glasses, fill the glasses 2/3 full with lemonade and top off with sparkling water. Garnish with lemon-lime wedges or slices, and ENJOY!

Check out my other lemonade recipes to quench your summer thirst…

Lilikoi Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

Simply Perfect Lemonade

Sparkling Lemonade

How do you make great lemonade even better? Make it bubbly! Kids and adults alike will love this simple twist on a classic!
4 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4-5 cups water, to dilute (Depending on your preference)
  • lemon or lime flavored sparkling water, chilled

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
  • Juice enough lemons for 1 cup of juice. Typically this would be 4 to 6 lemons.
  • Add the lemon juice and sugar mixture to a pitcher. Add 4-5 cups of water to the pitcher and stir well. This will vary based on personal preference. **See notes
  • Refrigerate the lemonade for 2-3 hours to completely chill.
  • To serve, add plenty of ice to the glasses, fill 2/3 with lemonade, 1/3 with flavored sparkling water and garnish with lemon (optional). Adjust amounts of lemonade versus sparkling water to suit your personal preference.

Notes

When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I always suggest starting with 4 cups, then sampling it. If it’s too strong, add more water gradually until you get just the flavor your looking for. Keep in mind you will be adding sparkling water to the lemonade, and if you are adding ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. 
 
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.Follow me on Facebook and never miss a recipe!

 

SIMPLY PERFECT LEMONADE

Great lemonade is like sunshine in your glass! This lemonade is simple, sweet, refreshing, and bursting with flavor. Your taste buds will sing with just the first sip! Perfect for all of your backyard barbecues…Actually, it’s great anytime!

Great lemonade just shouts, “summer is here”! And the good news, great lemonade is not hard to make. And, of course, the star of any lemonade is the bright, sunny lemons. We have a dwarf Meyer lemon tree growing in our backyard. And most years, during the summer, it is heavy with the juiciest lemons we’ve ever seen! The amount of juice we get from one lemon is more than you’ll get from two or three store-bought lemons. We use what we can of the fresh lemons, but the tree produces more than we can reasonably use, so I juice the lemons and freeze the juice in a half-cup container. That makes it incredibly easy to pull out the exact amount of juice I need for a recipe. I don’t mind making lemonade with our frozen lemon juice, but nothing beats juicing fresh lemons!

To make this amazing lemonade, you just need three basic ingredients; lemon juice, sugar, and water. That’s it! Give up 10 minutes of your time, and you are done!

The most important step (and really the only step) in creating great lemonade is making a simple syrup. Also referred to as “sugar syrup,” simple syrup is a liquefied form of sugar commonly used to sweeten cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks. Because it is a liquid sweetener, it is much easier to blend into cold beverages than regular granulated sugar. If you simply stirred sugar into cold water and lemon juice, the sugar would sink to the bottom. You would end up with the top half of your drink being pucker-producing tart and the bottom being over-the-top sweet.

HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP:

You gently heat 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir the simple syrup occasionally to help with the dissolving. This should really only take a couple of minutes. You don’t want the syrup to boil, or you will evaporate too much of your water, and you also run the risk of burning the sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove it from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the simple syrup and 1 cup of lemon juice into a pitcher. You’ll want to dilute the mixture with cold water, then allow your lemonade to chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I suggest starting with 4 cups and then sampling it. If it’s too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor you’re looking for. Keep in mind that if you are adding ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. My personal preference is to go with 4 cups of water. When serving the lemonade, I load the glasses with ice to get super refreshing, ice-cold lemonade.

Check out my other lemonade recipes to quench your summer thirst:

Sparkling Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

Lilikoi Lemonade

Simply Perfect Lemonade

Great lemonade is like sunshine in your glass! This lemonade is simple, sweet, refreshing, and bursting with flavor. Your taste buds will sing with just the first sip! Perfect for all of your backyard barbecues…Actually, it's great anytime!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4-5 cups water, to dilute (Depending on your preference)

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Juice enough lemons for 1 cup of juice. Typically this would be 4 to 6 lemons.
  • Add the lemon juice and simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 4-5 cups of water to the pitcher and stir well. **See notes
  • Refrigerate the lemonade for 3-4 hours to completely chill.
  • To serve, add plenty of ice to the glasses, fill and garnish with lemon (optional).

Notes

When deciding how much to dilute the lemonade, I suggest starting with 4 cups and then sampling it. If it’s too strong, gradually add more water until you get just the flavor you’re looking for. Keep in mind, that if you are adding ice to your lemonade, it will further dilute the lemonade as the ice melts. 
 
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