Summer is quickly approaching and that means saying hello to quick salads, cold dinners, ice creams, brightly-colored summer fruit, and cold, tall glasses of lemonade! With the temperature rising every day, it is essential to stay properly hydrated, but while drinking lots of water is recommended, nothing beats a glass of ice-cold lemonade on a hot day. My cherry and rose lemonade is the perfect summer drink to keep you cool and hydrated this summer!
This bright pink lemonade is made with a home-made syrup made with fresh, sweet cherries and little dried rosebuds. It’s got a beautiful bright pink color, a fragrant, fruity and floral aroma and, most importantly, a refreshing flavor. All you really have to do for a delicious drink is to make the syrup and keep it in an airtight container to use throughout the week. Whenever you feel like a glass of lemonade, simply pour some of the syrup into a glass filled with ice cubes and top it up with some (fizzy) water.
But of course, you don’t necessarily need to make lemonade with this syrup. Want something a little more booze-y for a summers-eve garden party? Add a splash of vodka, or bourbon to your fizzy lemonade. Or maybe you need something a bit more substantial like a refreshing snack of dessert? This syrup is delicious drizzled over some Greek yoghurt, or vanilla ice cream as well!
Cherry & Rose Lemonade
- V
- VG
- GF
- DF
Ingredients
- 350g cherries (amounts to about 290g pitted cherries)
- 20g dried edible rosebuds (for tea)
- 220g granulated sugar
- 250ml water
- 90ml lemon juice
- -
- For the lemonade:
- Ice cubes, or crushed ice
- Carbonated water, or still water
Method
Making cherry and rose syrup:- Prepare the cherries: thoroughly wash the cherries. Cut the cherries in half to remove the pits, or use a cherry-pitter. Set pitted cherries aside.
- Make a flavoured simple syrup: In a saucepan on medium heat, combine water and sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved for about 2 minutes. Add the pitted cherries and dried rosebuds to the saucepan with the simple syrup. Continue simmering on very low heat for 15 minutes. Mash the softened cherries with the back of a wooden spoon and simmer for another 10 minutes. Take the cherry and rose syrup off the heat and add the lemon juice to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Straining and storing the syrup: let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer making sure you get all the liquid out by pressing on the cherries and roses with a wooden spoon. Pour the syrup into an airtight bottle, or container. Allow to fully cool.
- Add some ice cubes, or crushed ice to a tall glass.
- Depending on the desired sweetness, pour about 20 - 30ml of the cherry and rose syrup over the ice and top up with 250ml carbonated water, or still water.
- Optional: add some fresh cherries for decoration.