Thursday, May 24, 2012

Blackberry Lemonade


Behind margaritas, lemonade is the quintessential summer drink.  Over the past year or so I've been experimenting with different variations - sparkling strawberry lemonade, basil-infused lemonade, sparkling lemonade, roasted peach lemonade, limeade, and now this blackberry lemonade.

To be honest, I made this out of necessity, but I'm so very glad that I did.  We were getting ready to head to the beach for the week, and I wanted to rid our house of any and all produce that could spoil.  I had some blackberries and lemons in the fridge, so the blackberry limeade recipe that I saved a year ago became sparkling blackberry lemonade!

This comes together in minutes, is a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and most importantly - look how pretty it is!  I am totally addicted to sparkling water, so I of course love it in this lemonade.  The little bubbles are so refreshing, and it makes the drink seem fancy and special.  This would make a wonderful addition to a cookout this weekend, and if you're looking for an adult beverage, I think vodka, gin, or even sparkling wine would be great.   

Note:  I like my lemonade on the tart side, so feel free to use less lemon juice and/or increase the sugar for a sweeter drink.  Also, if you don't want sparkling lemonade, just omit the sparkling water and replace with 2 cups of still water.

Sparkling Blackberry Lemonade
  • 4 cups cold water, divided
  • 3 cups blackberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar (can increase to 1 cup if your blackberries are especially tart)
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cups sparkling water
In a blender or food processor, combine the blackberries and 1 cup of the water.  Puree until smooth, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds.  In a pitcher, combine the blackberry puree, sugar, lemon juice, and the remaining water.  Stir well to dissolve the sugar.

Chill until ready to serve, and top with the sparkling water just before serving.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love lemonade, and have it almost every day! This is an awesome recipe, and perfect for Memorial Day weekend parties :)

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar said...

Love this! It looks and sounds super refreshing!

nicole @ I am a Honey Bee said...

I love lemonade in the summer! so good!

Lindsey (Our Share of the Harvest) said...

I'm going to make a big pitcher of this for this weekend--looks so refreshing and SO beautiful!

Dana said...

Blackberry and lemon: so good! I've been devouring blackberry lemonade popsicles since spring. This looks so good.

Joanne said...

I don't drink lemonade nearly enough but it really is so tasty! I especially love the blackberry infusion...tart on tart is totally my kind of thing.

Shawn@I Wash...You Dry said...

Yum! I could go for a cold glass right now!

glassofrose said...

Love this! So much so, I pinned it to my Pinterest! :)

Annie said...

Love the photo, dear :)

www.cdl-practicetest.com/Idaho-cdl-practice-test.htm said...

I love ranch dressing. Glad to find a light version to be able to enjoy it more often. pinned!

www.cdl-practicetest.com/Montana-cdl-practice-test.htm said...

I am with you on the mayonnaise thing, except my dislike for it borders on phobia! Not kidding... but maybe this dressing may turn me!

www.cdl-practicetest.com/Alaska-cdl-practice-test.htm said...

this looks delicious and i avoid ranch b/c it's so unhealthy! i think you meant "thicker" in last line!

www.cdl-practicetest.com/Arizona-cdl-practice-test.htm said...

I still find it really hard to consume mayo but I'm working on it! maybe this ranch dressing is the key...

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