Monday, August 1, 2011

Studio 5: Creative Lemonades & Party

Quench your thirst and mix-up fresh ingredients for some cool & creative lemonades. (I originally created these for Studio 5 in 2011!!  I can't believe how time flies!)

Nine recipes and a Master Lemon Simple Syrup so you can get your own creative juices going! (Scroll down to bottom for recipes.)

Take your Gourmet Lemonade get-together up a notch by creating this quick & easy party ensemble.

Summer is a great time to get together with friends, neighbors and family, but is often daunting because we think we have to cook.

Who needs food?  When it's hot, our appetite is low anyways and what we really want is something cold & refreshing!

I love parties where food or drink become the centerpiece...interaction, conversation and experimenation makes for a fun, low-key evening.  As a lemonade mixologist you'll be the life or the party!  Guests will gather 'round, read through your drink options and start sampling your gourmet concoctions.

I've prepared quick & easy FREE downloads for an invitation, favor, menu board and labels for the Simple Syrup bottles.  Be sure to visit the PDF tab to get print & cut sheets.  Or you can use the jpegs on the main page.

Enjoy!

P.S.  Would love to hear what creative ways you're getting together this summer.

Now let’s get creative! I’ll start with what is probably the most popular upgrade: Raspberry lemonade.

**Please note that all my recipes are in parts. This will enable you to make just one cup or a whole pitcher. When I make an individual serving I usually use a 1/4 cup measuring cup. I use a 1 cup measuring cup to make up a pitcher.

Raspberry Mint Lemonade

{Can you beat that color? Or the taste?}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part mashed Fresh Raspberries

2 parts cold water

2 leaves Mint, muddled in a bit of syrup per cup.

A few lemon slices

Ice

Garnish with mint leaves

 

Fizzy Kiwi Lemonade

{really love this combo…and so pretty!}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part mashed Fresh Kiwi (I like little bits of fruit pulp)

2 parts cold Pellegrino or soda water (or if like me, you prefer no fizz, just add water)

Ice

Garnish with slices of Kiwi, push into glass along the side so you can see that beautiful cross section.

 

Cucumber Dill Lemonade

{if you like cucumbers, you’ll love this version, so cool & fresh!}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part pureed Cucumbers (I used a blender)

2 parts cold water

2 tsp. fresh dill, muddled in a little syrup per cup.

Ice

Garnish with slices of cold cucumber and a sprig of dill.

 

Watermelon Basil Lemonade

{Love serving this in a mason jar, very country rustic}


1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part pureed ripe Watermelon

2 parts cold water

2 tsp. fresh basil, muddled in a little syrup per cup.

Ice

Garnish with a chunk of watermelon on the rim and slices of lemon in the jar.

 

Mellow Mango Lemonade

{Gorgeous color and mango ice cubes to munch on}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part pureed Mango

2 parts cold water

Ice

Frozen mango ice cubes (small, or cut up bigger ones)

Garnish with a slice of Lemon and mint leaf.

 

Jalapeno Cilantro Limeade

{Surprisingly this is NOT hot, just beautifully peppery}

 

1part Lime Simple Syrup

3 parts cold water

1/2 jalapeno, no seeds per glass

· Place jalapeno in first two ingredients and let marinate for 20 minutes or more.

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, muddles in a bit of syrup per cup.

Shaved or crushed ice

Garnish with a slice of Jalapeno and a Cilantro leaf.


Options: Using a margarita glass if fun for this drink and salting the rim is a perfect accompaniment. Since your guests might be a bit nervous about this version, you could create a tray of shooters so they can all get a little taste.

This idea sprang from thinking about different herbs to use. I love cilantro and rest just fell into place. I didn’t expect it to taste as good as it did. Surprisingly, the jalapeno didn’t make it hot, just a mellow peppery sweet flavor. I might leave the seeds in next time for a little more heat.

 

Honeydew Nutmeg Lemonade

{Place slices of Honeydew in the glass for a convenient cool snack}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

2 parts pureed Honeydew

2 parts cold water

a few grinds of fresh Nutmeg

Ice

Garnish with a couple of slices of fresh Honeydew, a mint leaf and some freshly ground nutmeg.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade

{for those who really like to pucker up!}

 

1part Lemon Simple Syrup

1 part pureed Strawberries

1/2 part Rhubarb Juice (definitely just the juice here, the rhubarb has too much fiber.)

Ice

Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a stick of rhubarb. Dip one end in sugar…brings back nostalgic summer memories for me!

 

Fizzy Ginger Limeade

{Try frosting a mug in the freezer for this classic…directions below}

 

1part Lime Simple Syrup

1 part cold water

2 parts cold Gingerale

1 tsp minced ginger. Muddle with a bit of hot water and let sit for a few minutes to extract all the flavor.

Ice

Garnish with a slice of lime and a few shavings of lime rind.

How to frost a mug: Make sure mug is clean and cool. Place in the freezer so air has room to move around it. Spray with water and keep in freezer until ready to use. It takes about 60 minutes to build up a layer of frost depending on how cold your freezer is.


2 comments:

kwgirl said...

Loved this segment...we LOVE lemonade in the heat of the summer. Thanks for sharing all the extra's with us:)

Honeybee said...

Such a cute segment! I enjoyed watching it behind the scenes at the studio while I was preparing for mine. Thanks for the shout-out about the S.S.Smores- glad you liked them & that I got to met you. Hope to see you & get to work with you again. :)

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