Summer Drinks {sparkling lemonade & sparkling strawberry lemonade}

Lemonade  is the official summer drink at our house!

Summer afternoon breaks ….. oftentimes I would find my kids and their friends gathering in the kitchen eating and making all kinds of drink concoctions or maybe more like a science experiment. When it was over and done with, the unanimous drink of choice was always lemonade.  After their thirst was quenched, they went back outside to play.  I was often left with wet & sticky counter tops and trails of sugar on the floor.  Over the years, they’ve learned to clean up their mess and have become experts at making lemonade.  It’s a wonderful sight to see all the kids mingling together, talking and having fun in the kitchen, making lemonade and making memories.

To simplify the process of making lemonade, I introduced the kids to,”simple syrup” as a way to sweeten drinks instead of just adding granulated sugar.  Sometimes I would have sparkling/seltzer water available to add a little bit of fizz to their drinks.  A large supply of lemons was always on hand.  I have to set a limit on the amount of lemonade they can consume or else they will make it to the last lemon.

Sparkling Lemonade

{1 serving, 12 oz glass}

3   tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3   cup simple syrup {recipe, here }
1/2   cup seltzer/sparkling water
ice

Combine all the ingredients in a 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.

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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade is a twist on the classic lemonade with strawberry flavor infused into the simple syrup.
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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

{1 serving, 12 oz glass}

3   tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup   strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
seltzer/sparkling water
ice

Combine all the ingredients in an 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.
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To make a big batch of Lemonade
{6-8 servings}

1   cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice {6-8 lemons}
1  1/2   cups simple syrup or strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
4   cups seltzer/sparkling water
ice

Combine lemon juice, simple syrup and sparkling water in a pitcher/container,
stir, and serve over ice.

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* These recipes calls for seltzer/sparkling water, you could always substitute it with cold water.

{print Lemonade recipes, Here}

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posted by: Kay