Homemade, Flavored Lemonade

We have an abundance of lemons due to recent visits to the fish market (and there is a recipe from one of those visits that was not deemed blog-worthy.  Pasta, sundried tomatoes and jumbo lump crabmeat – the combination seemed so promising!).  Travis, our little chemist, tried to make lemonade with some of those lemons.  He took about a sip (further advancing my theory that recipes are written for a reason). 

My usual lemonade preparation is rather pedestrian: open container of Country Time, pour into pitcher, add water and ice, stir and enjoy.  We decided to branch out together, made 4 different lemonades, and had a taste test with coded Dixie cups and all (and what do you do when it’s 102 outside?) 

Our 2 favorites were made in a blender.  Perhaps it was the fun of using heavy machinery that swayed the vote? 

Pink Lemonade (left)
Strawberry Lemonade (right)

Emeril’s Strawberry Lemonade 

Ingredients

1.      2 cups water

2.      1 cup sugar

3.      1 cup fresh lemon juice (or bottled)

4.      1 pint (1 cup) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

5.      2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda

6.      Ice

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water (I used club soda) just prior to serving and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve. Optional: garnish with mint and strawberries.

Barefoot Contessa’s Pink Lemonade

Ingredients

1.      1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5 to 6 lemons) - (or bottled)

2.      1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, to taste

3.      1 cup crushed ice

4.      4 cups water

5.      2 teaspoons grenadine

6.      6 maraschino cherries

Place the lemon juice, sugar, ice, water and grenadine in a blender and process until completely smooth.  Place a cherry in the bottom of 6 glasses and pour the lemon juice mixture in the glass.  Serve.  (For another treat, use the leftover grenadine to make Shirley Temples.)