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The Inspiration
One of my neighbors does incredible fish-fry fundraisers. He always makes incredible watermelon lemonade to go with the fried catfish. I don’t have his recipe, but I was craving watermelon lemonade the other day and decided I’d have to see if I could replicate the sweet, tangy beverage on my own. I won’t claim this watermelon lemonade is as perfect as my neighbor’s, but I think it’s pretty close!
How to make Watermelon Lemonade
This recipe is really fast and easy, but despite its simplicity the end result is delicious.
One thing that elevates this lemonade is making watermelon ice cubes. I hate it when I put ice cubes in my drink and it dilutes the flavor of what I’m drinking. I decided to solve this problem by freezing cubes of watermelon so as they melt it will add more flavor to my lemonade instead of watering it down. It took my watermelon cubes about an hour to freeze, so I recommend throwing them into the freezer before you move onto the other steps. I spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to help them freeze faster.
While the cubes are freezing, the next step is to make the sugar syrup. Simply heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan on the stove until the sugar is completely dissolved. Immediately remove it from the heat and let it cool. Set the syrup aside and move onto the next steps.
Put the remaining cubes of watermelon in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour it through a strainer to remove the pulp and set it aside. Alternately, you could use a juicer. If you’re using fresh lemons, now is the time to juice them!
Finally, combine all of the ingredients in a large pitcher or container and stir to combine. I suggest adding the watermelon juice, lemon juice, syrup, and water gradually and tasting it as you go to make sure you get the flavor that you like.
I love my set of Pyrex measuring cups and you can find them on Amazon at the link below.
Watermelon Lemonade
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed watermelon
- 2 cups lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 9½ cups water
- lemon slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Take 2 cups of the cubed watermelon and spread it flat on a baking tray and place in the freezer until frozen solid.
- Combine the 2 cups of sugar and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Put the remaining 4 cups of cubed watermelon in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the watermelon juice and set aside. You should end up with about 2 cups of watermelon juice.
- Combine the watermelon juice, 2 cups of lemon juice, sugar syrup, and remaining 8 cups of water in a large pitcher. I suggest adding the water slowly and stopping when it meets your preferences.
- Place in the fridge and allow to cool.
- Add the frozen watermelon cubes and, if desired, lemon slices for garnish. Serve immediately.