Refreshing Lemonade Drinks Great for Hot Weather

Cool and refreshing drinks are one of the best ways to beat the heat. Citrus drinks are especially refreshing. Lemonade has long been a favorite hot weather beverage. Although old fashioned lemonade is delicious, flavored lemonades are a nice change of pace. This article contains recipes for my two favorite lemonade drinks.

Rhubarb Lemonade

I recently started on a quest to find good ways to use rhubarb. The reason for this is that I joined an organic vegetable cooperative. As a member, I have very little choice in the vegetables I receive each week.

The first week when I received rhubarb, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. A friend recommended that I make rhubarb sauce for ice cream. I did so and it was a big hit in my family. Another friend of mine in the cooperative used her rhubarb to make rhubarb lemonade. I enjoyed the rhubarb lemonade she made, and decided to tweak her recipe. Below is my rhubarb lemonade recipe.

3 cups sliced rhubarb

2 cups sugar

8 cups water, divided

1 cup lemon juice

Combine the rhubarb with the sugar and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the rhubarb is tender. Puree the rhubarb mixture in a blender until is is smooth. Strain the rhubarb mixture with a wire sieve to remove the pulp. Pour the rhubarb puree into a 2-quart pitcher. Stir in the lemon juice and add in the remaining 4 cups of water. Pour over ice and serve chilled.

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry lemonade is my favorite drink to order in restaurants. I never thought of making it at home, but after I made rhubarb lemonade with great success, I decided to use the same basic principle to make strawberry lemonade. Here is my recipe for strawberry lemonade.

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup lemon juice

8 cups water,divided

Place the two cups of sliced strawberries in a medium-size saucepan along with the sugar and two cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about five minutes or until the strawberries are soft.

Allow the strawberry mixture to cool a little and then carefully pour it into a blender container. Puree the strawberries in the blender until smooth. If you like small bits of strawberries in your lemonade, pour the strawberry mixture directly into a two-quart pitcher. If you do not like bits of strawberry in your lemonade, strain the strawberry mixture before pouring it into the pitcher. You may need to add a little bit of water if it does not strain well.

After adding the strawberry mixture to the pitcher, stir in the lemon juice and fill up the pitcher with water. Serve over ice.