Max’s latest food obsession has been anything with lemon, so when I asked him what beverage he wanted for his birthday he naturally chose lemonade. He’s also fairly obsessed with blueberries. “Because they’re blue” and that’s his favourite colour (“so are red and yellow. Actually all colours are my favourite.” -Max). So we settled on blueberry lemonade to make it just a bit more boyish and out of the norm.
The base of this recipe is quite strong but you can add water as you please. We started with it quite strong because we knew it would be sitting out in the sun and the ice would melt, which would water it down some. But the day was overcast and on the chilly side, and the ice didn’t even really melt, so it ended up being pretty potent stuff. Delicious but strong. After all the ice finally melted it was perfect. The lesson? If it’s a hot one keep it on the stronger side and add lot’s of ice so that it doesn’t weaken the flavour too much as it melts. If it’s a cooler day make it according to your tastes because the ice won’t melt as fast. Smart.
We really enjoyed this lemonade and I’m sure we’ll be making variations of it throughout the summer. Blueberry is delicious but feel free to swap it with any berry you like.
Blueberry Lemonade
- 4 cups sugar
- 6 cups water
- 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 24 lemons, juiced and chilled
- 8 cups cold water (plus more as needed)
- ice
Place sugar, 6 cups water, and blueberries in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, mashing berries as you go. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool. This can be done a day ahead.
When ready to serve, pour lemon juice, blueberry syrup, and 8 cups of water into a large serving container or drink dispenser (if you like things on the tarter side add 3/4 of the syrup at first then add more until it’s to your liking). Stir and taste. Add more water, to taste, if needed. If it will be sitting in the sun you may want it on the stronger side because it will become more diluted as the ice melts. Top off the container with ice, serve immediately or keep in the fridge until serving.
Serves approximately: 18 guests
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.