UPDATED: FEBRUARY 26, 2025
JUMP TO RECIPES
It’s summer, I live in the south, and I’m hot. I don’t like summer. I don’t like being hot for several valid and superficial reasons. Nevertheless, summer has a few things going for it. Mainly, summer fruits and summer drinks. So, I decided to share three of my favorite twists on a summer classic, lemonade!
Having a go-to lemonade recipe is almost like a superpower; you can whip up fun and refreshing drinks quickly without much effort. Lemonade is the perfect summer drink because it’s both sweet and tart and uses in-season produce that is at its peak and in abundance.
However, with everyone making the refreshing drink with such ease, sometimes you want a fun spin on the drink that brings new life to the table. These recipes allow for that. Each of these recipes are a creative spin on the classic that allows you to play around with fun ingredients and flavors that you wouldn’t normally reach for. Even better, they are all incredibly easy to make.
I’m a proponent of making things as simple as possible so that these recipes are accessible to as many people as possible. So, let me say, that there are surely fancier, more complicated ways to make these drinks, I won’t be doing those here. To begin, there are three ways I like to make flavored lemonades: first, with simple syrups; second, infusing the flavors, and third, with add-ins. I’ll cover them all.
Additionally, please note, I LIKE MY LEMONADE MORE ON THE TART SIDE! If you don’t, use fewer lemons or more sugar (or sugar substitutes ) as you’d like. I always buy more lemons than I think I’ll need because there’s no uniformity in size and flavor, so it’s better to be safer. The beauty of custom lemonade, right? Let’s dig in!
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Rosemary Lemonade
Rosemary & Lemon is obviously one of my favorite flavor combinations, as you can see by my lemon rosemary cake. The rosemary simple syrup is super versatile. You can either store it in the fridge for small batches of lemonade or to add to other drinks. It can be used in cocktails, mocktails, or coffee. Be creative.
Rosemary Lemonade Ingredients
Single Serving of Rosemary Lemonade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3-6 tablespoons of rosemary syrup to taste
- 10 oz(1 1/4 C) water
- Rosemary to garnish
60oz Pitcher of Rosemary Lemonade
- 1-1.5 C rosemary simple syrup
- 12-13 lemons
- 44oz(5 1/2 C) water for the pitcher
60oz Pitcher of Rosemary Lemonade(Infusion Method)
- Around 12 lemons
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 55 oz (a little under 7 C) water
Rosemary Simple Syrup Instructions
- Combine 1 C of water and 1 C of sugar in a pot along with 2-3 sprigs of quickly rinsed rosemary(smack the rosemary between your hands first to begin releasing the oils).
- Heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved and it begins to boil.
- Once it begins to boil, turn off the heat and put the syrup aside to cool.
- Once the syrup cools to room temperature, remove the rosemary and your simple syrup is ready.
Rosemary Infused Lemonade
The infusion method of making this lemonade is slightly easier as it skips the simple syrup but it also takes a bit longer. You’ll simply make your lemonade and add in the rinsed rosemary directly into the mixture. Allow the rosemary to sit in the lemonade in an airtight container, refrigerated for several hours and then taste! I like to use around two to three sprigs for a pitcher.
Rose Lemonade
Alright, next up is probably my favorite but I love rose-flavored things. I know floral flavors can be polarizing but I am team florals over here! This one is much simpler as there is no simple syrup or infusing involved, just mixing the ingredients! Now, as I said at the beginning I prefer the most accessible route for my recipes. You can in fact make your own rosewater if you are so inclined! There are lots of tutorials online but it can be tedious as you have to locate trustworthy, clean, organic roses, and other things.
So, I bought mine online, bottled up nicely for me. I’ve used the Cortas brand in other recipes, it stretches and keeps, and tastes lovely. One bottle is probably all you’ll need. When you make this drink it is paramount that you start with a smaller amount of rosewater and add in as you taste it. Rosewater looks simple, but she packs a punch and it is easy to go overboard quickly!
Rose Lemonade Ingredients
Single Serving of Rose Lemonade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2-4 tablespoons of sugar ( I tend to go right down the middle with 3)
- 1-2 tablespoons of rosewater to taste
- 10 oz(1 1/4 C) water
- Crushed rose petals and lemon slice to garnish
60oz Pitcher of Rose Lemonade
- 3/4 c sugar
- Juice of 10-11 lemons
- 52 oz (6 1/2 cups) of water
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of rosewater
Lady Grey Lemonade
Now, again, this one does require a little prep work but the payoff is worth it! This is my take on the Arnold Palmer, which traditionally consists of sweetened black tea and lemonade. It’s a popular drink here in the Southern US, but I could never get behind it. I couldn’t really put my finger on it until one day I decided that maybe plain black tea isn’t the best tea for that combination.
So, I tried it with Earl Grey because Earl Grey is a black tea with the addition of oil of bergamot. My thinking was the citrus notes would complement each other. And they did! It was good, but I still thought it could be better. So then, I tried it with Lady Grey. Lady Grey an Earl Grey-like tea made by Twinnings. It has the same base but also has lemon peel and orange peel in it, so the citrus is even more ramped up! And that was it! the citrus in the tea and the lemonade balance out perfectly, and the black tea adds a bit of depth.
To make this is fairly simple, you’ll just want to brew your tea and then allow it to cool to at least room temperature. Then, you’ll make your lemonade and mix the two! You can also make the tea, sweeten it, and keep it in a separate container and allow people to mix to their liking!
Lady Grey Lemonade Ingredients
Single Serving of Lady Grey Lemonade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 8 oz (1 C) of brewed Lady Grey cooled (1 tea bag)
- 2-4 tablespoons of sugar
- 4 oz (1/2 C) of water
- lemon and orange peel to garnish
60oz Pitcher of Lady Grey Lemonade
- 28 oz (3 1/2 C) of brewed Lady Grey, cooled ( Use 4 tea bags to brew)
- Juice of 7-8 lemons
- 28 oz (3 1/2 C) cold water
- 3/4 c sugar
Fizzy Lemonade and Cocktail Alternatives
Lastly, all of these drinks can be mixed with soda water or a lemon-lime soda for a fizzy version. For a quick and easy cocktail, combine it with vodka or gin for a cocktail version! Don’t forget you can adjust all of the ingredients to your liking! Have fun with it and stay cool, literally and figuratively!
Can’t wait to try some of these. 💚💚💚