When I decided to throw a First Day of Summer party, I called my genius friend Andrea to help us come up with 3 different infused Lemonades. She always throws together lemonde effortlessly for big groups and I wanted to know her tricks. She made Ginger Lemonade, Watermelon Mint Lemonade, and Blueberry Lavender Lemonade. All three were incredible. Today, I’m excited for her to share her tips and tricks in her own words: (ps: the drink dispensers are from CB2.)
Lemonades are my favorite for serving at big parties and events because the water can added at the last minute, making it easier to transport and refrigerate with limited space. Much better than lugging around heavy sodas! Just make the syrup ahead, add everything but the water, and store until ready to add water. Juicing enough lemons for a crowd take a lot of lemons, and can be expensive and labor intensive. So I often start with juicing a few lemons for the fresh-squeezed taste, then fill in the rest of the juice with a good quality bottled lemon juice. Try swapping out other herbs or aromatics in the syrup stage, such as rosemary or a vanilla bean. Also try adding other pureed fruit at the end, such as strawberries or kiwi.
Materials and instructions below the jump.
Ginger Lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 inch piece of ginger
1 cup lemon juice
6 cups water and ice
lemon slices for garnish
Slice ginger into about 8 large pieces. Combine sugar, 1 cup water, and ginger slices in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to steep and cool, about 30 minutes.Remove ginger pieces if desired. Combine ginger syrup with lemon juice, water, and ice. Garnish with lemon slices.
Watermelon Mint Lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 small bunch mint, plus additional for garnish
1 cup lemon juice
6 cups water and ice
3 cups watermelon chunks
lemon slices for garnish
Combine sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure sugar has dissolved. Add bunch of mint. Remove from heat and allow to steep and cool, about 30 minutes. Discard mint. Puree watermelon in a blender until smooth. Combine watermelon puree, mint syrup, lemon juice, water, and ice. Garnish lemon slice and additional mint leaves.
Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried lavender, plus additional for garnish
1 cup blueberries, plus additional for garnish (about 1 cup)
1 cup lemon juice
6 cups water and ice
lemon slices for garnish
Combine sugar, 1 cup water, lavender, and blueberries in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure sugar has dissolved. Boil for a minute or two, until syrup is a deep purple. Remove from heat and allow to steep and cool, about 30 minutes. Strain out and discard lavender and blueberries. Combine blueberry syrup with lemon juice, water, and ice. Garnish with additional lavender, additional blueberries, and lemon slices.
Recipes by Andrea Pimental
Photography by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day
Art Direction by Jordan Ferney
Production by Alison Piepmeyer
Styling by Caitlin Barker
Crafting by Tais Horta
PARIS BEE kids blog
June 19, 2013
Oh my, these are sooooo pretty!!!
BTW, would you know where to find glass dispensers like this in Paris? I’d love to try the same thing!!
xoxo PARIS BEE kids blog
Marie @ Little Kitchie
June 19, 2013
Ohh that ginger lemonade sound so refreshing!
STEL STYLE
June 19, 2013
this drink recipe is really cool, this weekend I have a party and I will do this lemon drink
DIY ON MY BLOG
http://www.thestelstyle.com
Michelle
June 19, 2013
These look as delicious as they do beautiful in the containers. Perfect for summertime!!
Meg
June 19, 2013
Going to try the ginger lemonade. YUM!!!
http://happinessiscreating.com/
Becky Loose From The Zoo
June 19, 2013
oh my goodness yum! what an easy gourmet treat for the warm weather!
<3becky
http://www.loosefromthezoo.com
Michelle @ Fully Belly, Worn Soles
June 19, 2013
These look amazing! The glass dispensers are to die for!
http://www.fullbellywornsoles.com/
Lisa
June 19, 2013
I can’t wait to try these…especially the watermelon version.
I noticed that some of the reviews on the dispenser report leaking. Did you have that issue?
Thanks!
Only if the nozzle isn’t turned all the way off. Otherwise, it’s worked great for me!
Anne
June 19, 2013
The glass dispensers are beautiful!
http://annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com/
Roderick
June 19, 2013
I live in Costa Rica, we add a small amount of cloves to our ginger lemonade(Limonda Jenjibre)!!! Refreshing on hot days.
Sounds amazing!
Lisette Wolter-McKinley
June 19, 2013
I love the natural colors of the blueberry and watermelon lemonades. Must try these for my ice cream social.
Marjorie
June 19, 2013
Those are so lovely, and the color is so vibrant! I’m tempted to try this. Now I’m even more inspired to get my outdoor patio set…
Also, those containers are wonderful. I’ve never seen one with a cork top. Thank you for providing the source!
maggie
June 19, 2013
The ginger lemonade looks AMAZING! Going to have to try it!
Marlene
June 19, 2013
Can’t wait to try these! They sure look refreshing!
@Marjorie, @Jordan: Where can I find these or similar dispensers? and what’s a good price for dispensers? Thanks!
Marlene
June 19, 2013
nevermind – sorry I got for the photos first 🙂 read the source! thanks so much for including it!
YOLONDA
June 19, 2013
The Watermelon Mint seems like the one to try!
Kate
June 19, 2013
These are great! I love the recipes and those dispensers are so pretty. I love this post. Thanks for sharing.
EllenQ
June 19, 2013
These look delicious. I’ve been looking for fun lemonade recipes for our wedding and I can’t wait to test these out!
jess
June 19, 2013
Oh my goodness! I cannot wait to try this out. I am always looking for tasty lemonade recipes.
Thanks for posting!
marcelleblog.com
Tasneem
June 19, 2013
I saw your post on these on IG and hopped right over in hopes of recipes. I am so glad you posted these…definitely going to try them out soon.
Tanya
June 19, 2013
Thank you for posting this! I’m hosting my first ever party next week (egad, I’m 34 and have never hostessed!) and have been wracking my brain for a non-alcoholic option. And then your post – voila! Thank you!
Kayleigh | Notes of Inspires
June 19, 2013
I love those glass dispensers and Andrea did a fabulous job with her lemonades! They all sound wonderful, but I think I would particularly like to try the blueberry lavender!
Karen l
June 19, 2013
Ok these all sound fabulous – but – one tiny question. In the directions, you call for 6 cups of water and ice – is that 6 cups of water and 6 cups of ice, of 6 cups of ice and water together?
Thanks!!
6 cups of water, 6 cups of ice. 🙂
Claudia
June 20, 2013
OMG I <3 it!
And I want these glass dispensers too! 🙂
El Cajón de las Especias
June 20, 2013
They are a wonderful lemonade!
The colors, the ideas … great!!
Thanks for sharing!
‘Spicy’ greetings
Monika Jones
June 20, 2013
Yummy! They look really delicious and refreshing! Can’t wait to try!
Chocho
June 20, 2013
The blueberry lemonade looks so good!
Moniszka
June 26, 2013
Oh, yummy! Lemonade is the best drink when temperature is to high 🙂
Your lemonades look pretty! All three 🙂
Tamsen
June 26, 2013
These are lovely!! I can’t wait to recreate the for my Birthday BBQ! also not to be annoying but Lemonade is spelled lemondade in the first photo 🙂 seriously when is photoshop going to add a spell checker!?!