It was Memorial Day, and our barbecue was just about ready when I suddenly got a craving for some sort of lemonade. I mentally ran through a list of fruits that I could combine with the lemons and decided on raspberries…both because I liked the idea and because I had a bag of frozen raspberries on hand.
Since this craving came on strong only about half an hour before our meal, I had to make do with the four lemons that I had, so I ended up cutting the recipe to a third of the original amount. I also didn’t have time to thaw the raspberries as the recipe suggests, so I added the frozen berries to about two cups of water and blended them with a stick blender. I doubled the amount of raspberries in the original recipe and came out with something quite tasty, though the tart lemon flavor wasn’t nearly as noticeable as it would’ve been if I had used the original amount of berries. If you like a tart, more lemony lemonade, stick with half the amount of raspberries called for in the recipe below. Quick, refreshing, and a great drink to accompany any summer meal.
adapted from Raspberry Lemonade by Gale Gand
Notes: If you’re like me and don’t have time to thaw the raspberries, add them to about two cups of the water called for in the recipe and blend in a blender or with a stick blender. Then pour the mixture through a strainer to remove any seeds.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh, thawed or frozen raspberries
9 cups water
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
1 1/2 cups agave nectar (or 2 cups white sugar)
lemon slices for garnish (optional)
Directions
1. Puree the raspberries in a blender or with a stick blender. Strain the puree through a sieve and mix with the water, lemon juice, and agave nectar (or sugar). Serve cold with ice and garnish the glass with a lemon slice.
Posted in Alternatively Sweetened, Beverages, Food, Quick and Easy | No Comments »