Lemonade Bar with Homemade Lemonade

There are several staples we keep onhand in the house in the summertime:  namely, Coca Cola (a nod to my home state of Georgia), Cheerwine (a nod to my adopted home, North Carolina) -both of which are purchased in glass bottles though rarely consumed - sweet tea and lemonade.  

I am sucker for pink lemonade - I just think it is special though I have no idea why.  So as I was cleaning up from the 4th of July soiree we hosted with our neighbors last weekend, I decided to turn our bar into an indoor lemonade stand.

These days, the house is filled with the friends coming and going for playdates galore.  And with the dog days of summer sitting squarely on our backs, I find a cold glass of lemonade is a sweet and refreshing way to wet the wee one's whistle.  I keep a batch of regular and pink chilled at all times.

HOMEMEADE LEMONADE

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup boiling water

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice

5 cups cold water

Stir together sugar and 1/2 cup boiling water until sugar dissolves.  Stir in rind, juice and 5 cups of cold water.  Chill 8 hours.  Garnish with lemon and/or mint if desired.

Yields 8 cups

HOMEMADE PINK LEMONADE

1 cup sugar

10 cups water

1 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup grenadine

1/2 pint fresh raspberries or strawberries (optional)

Cook sugar and1 cup water in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.  Cool; pour into a large container.  Stir in remaining 9 cups water, lemon juice, grenadine and the raspberries/strawberries if desired.  Chill 2 hours.

Yields 3 quarts

Cheers!

xoxo,

TSS