The sun is shining and all I want to do is sip on an ice cold glass of this Pink Lemonade! Is there anything better on a hot summer day? Homemade Lemonade is a summer classic, and with a few berries we can turn it into this fun and extra fruity summer sipper with a gorgeous pink color. Some of our other warm weather favorites? This Cold Brew Coffee, Coffee Frappe, and homemade Milkshakes are all regulars around here! But every now and then (say for example, your oldest baby girl is turning 6 in just a couple weeks!), you just want something a little special. Homemade Pink Lemonade to the rescue you guys. My daughter loves pink, and berries, and lemon everything, so this had to happen just for her. It’s such a fun colour for a girl’s party or baby shower! Going blue? Try this Blueberry Lemonade!
How did Pink Lemonade come to be?
I’ve honestly never really thought much about why pink lemonade is pink, I just know that it is delicious, it’s an easy recipe, and the pink likely comes from red fruits. It’s a fun twist on traditional lemonade with a beautiful pink hue. Which is what we’re adding here — you can do strawberry lemonade, raspberry lemonade, or a combination! (Or get crazy and do cherries or something else that’s red) If you’ve never done any research on the origins of pink lemonade, you probably shouldn’t. Apparently a tub of dirty water and red cinnamon candies may have caused the festive colour, though you won’t find any of that around here! Fresh and fruity and delicious is what we’re going for.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Sugar: I use sugar to sweeten, but you may be able to sub in another sweetener to make a sugar free version or use honey or maple syrup for natural sweetening. Check out this post on making sugar free simple syrup for more tips. You can also use less sugar if you prefer it less sweet. Lemons: obviously, we need lemons to make lemonade! You can swap them out for limes (or do a mix) for a fun limeade. Fresh lemon juice is the only way to go! Save a few lemon slices for garnish if you want! Strawberries and raspberries: I use strawberries and raspberries to make my pink lemonade pink (no food dye required!), but you can use any red berries or swap them out for other fruit to make your own unique flavor profile (and a not-pink lemonade) Water or club soda: I like to use club soda or sparkling water for a few fun bubbles! You can also add a sparkling lemon lime soda for more citrus flavor.
Feel free to get a little crazy here! Strawberry Kiwi? Blueberry? — or mix it up with half iced tea for a fun twist. The options are endless! It’s the perfect drink for making ahead and storing a batch of lemonade in the refrigerator (you can even freeze it and nothing will change!), so whip up a big batch for that summer cookout or barbecue and save yourself some to sip on later 😉 It’s also packed with vitamin C and made with basic ingredients, no food coloring required.
Tips and Tricks for Making this Homemade Pink Lemonade:
Pick the best lemons — they’re the star in this pink drink so make sure you get lemons that are firm but not hard, slightly heavy, with bright yellow skin and no wrinkling. It’s important that they give a little when you squeeze them, because those will give you more juice, which is what we need here! Get creative with your fruit — I use a combination or strawberries and raspberries, but you can use one or the other, or neither! This is a recipe where the rules are meant to be broken. Come up with your own concoction simply by swapping out the fruit puree! You could even add in cranberry juice cocktail or pomegranate juice. Got leftovers? Pour it into an ice cube tray to flavour iced tea down the road, or pour it into popsicle mold for a refreshing treat down the road! When you’re done with the recipe, the flavour is going to be very concentrated. It is super easy to add as much or as little water or club soda or ice as you like to get the strength you desire!
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