Hallelujah, it’s the weekend! I’ve been looking forward to this ALL week. Went out for drinks with the girls last night, but other than that, I plan on taking things very slow for the next couple days. And nothing says, “sit back and relax,” like a cool glass of lemonade. Raspberry lemonade, that is. To me, lemonade is also quite American, which makes it the perfect beverage to accompany me as I watch the 2012 Olympics (heads up, I will be posting some traditional English recipes in the next couple weeks to celebrate the games).
Happy weekend everyone!
Homemade Raspberry Lemonade
- 10-14 lemons (enough for 2 cups juice), plus garnish
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- bourbon, if you feel like spiking
Cut the zest off of two lemons in wide strips, avoiding the pith (the bitter white part). Squeeze two cups of lemon juice from the lemons. Strain through a sieve if you don’t like pulp, and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, heat sugar, water, raspberries and lemon peels until the mixture boils, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Strain the simple syrup through a sieve, discarding the raspberries. Allow to cool.
Fill a large pitcher with ice, and pour in cooled simple syrup. Add the salt (a must!), lemon juice, and two cups water. Stir to combine. Garnish with a few raspberries, lemon slices, and a sprig of thyme.
If you are in the mood to imbibe, add a shot of bourbon to each glass of lemonade. Stir.
Tip: Thyme has a lemony essence that your nose picks up as you bring the glass of lemonade to your mouth. Mint would work well in this drink, too.
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
_______________________________________________________________
