Friday, August 8, 2014

Seal of Approval ...Simple Blackberry Lemonade




I actually second guessed posting this recipe. It's just so simple, I figured how could it be great? But it truly is. Here's how it came about...
 
Last month I had my 6-year old Goddaughter and her parents over for the weekend.  I made them dinner, but needed a refreshing drink to go with it.  Of course I didn't have any juice in the fridge since I don't really drink juice. 
 
   Not wanting to make a run to the store, I searched the fridge for ingredients to make juice. Luckily, I found a bag of frozen blackberries and a few lemons.  That is how my Simple Blackberry Lemonade was created! LOL! I have to laugh, because, honest to God, that was all it took. Everyone loved it!   
 
The following day, I found myself in the same predicament....My boyfriend and his friend were in the garage working on his car.  It was a warm day and I knew they were dying from the heat so I decided to whip up another batch of the refreshing Simple Blackberry Lemonade.  Once again, I received tons of compliments.
 
At that point, I figured I might be onto something, however the final stamp of approval came a few weeks later when my Aunt was visiting from Mexico. We were relaxing and chatting about the blog, food and other general stuff we talk about when we get together. The topic of my Goddaughter's visit came up and my Aunt asked me about the "amazing" drink I had made. My Goddaughter's exact words to my Aunt were, "My Nina made me the best juice!"  Let's just say that her compliment made my day...heck it made my whole week! At that point I was starting to think I should bottle this stuff!
 
 
Instead I am sharing this recipe with you so you can enjoy this refreshingly simple drink at home. It has great blackberry flavor with just the right amount of sweetness and just enough lemon to make sure it's not too tart. Plus it's kid & adult approved!  
 

Happy cooking everyone!
 


 


Simple Blackberry Lemonade
Makes 1 pitcher (approx. 6 servings)
 
 
Ingredients
1 bag Frozen Blackberries (approx. 2 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large lemons (or 4 small ones)
7-8 cups cold water
Ice



 

Directions:
Add Sugar and 1 cup of water into small pan.   Cook at low heat for  3-5 minutes, just enough to dissolve the sugar (this is very similar to making a simple syrup, but usually with simple syrup you reduce the liquid to 1/2, in this recipe you do not. You just need to dissolve the sugar and warm it up a bit)


Put 1 1/2 cups of frozen blackberries into your blender  with the juice of 2 lemons (not 3) and two cups of water.  Blend for 1-2 minutes till the berries are completly blended into pulp. 




In a large pitcher, add the blackberry pulp and mix in 1/2 cup of frozen blackberries and 1 lemon cut into slices.

















By this time your sugar has dissolved, add it to bowl filled with 4 cups of very cold water. Stir to cool it down   

Final step, add Berry Lemon mixture to pitcher, add cold water with sugar.  Mix.  If you need a bit more water, add one more cup of cold water (depends on how sweet you want it).



Serve over ice

Yep, that is it!!!













6 comments:

  1. That looks wonderful! So refreshing and sweet for a summer day :)

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    1. Thank you so much! i hope you give it a try, it is definitely refreshing !

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  2. I never think to use blackberries in anything. This sounds absolutely amazing!

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    1. I know, i use raspberry definitely more than the blackberry. But in this drink, the blackberries gives it a great flavor. I hope you give it a try.

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  3. Your goddaughter is THE CUTEST!! And love this fun take on lemonade. Such a nice way to keep it interesting!

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    1. Yes, she is definitely a cutie! This recipe make the lemonade less tart, hence why the kid loved it. :-) Thank you for your comment.

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