I grew up in a household of iced tea drinkers. Back then, I was all about soda, most often ginger ale. When I became an adult, I steered clear of those sugary sodas and became a convert to water. That is now my preferred beverage of choice most of the time. But when warm weather hits, something sweet yet tart is what I crave! Yup, lemonade all the way for me!

Being the DIYer I have always been, I make lemonade from lemon juice, sugar, and water instead of a mix. I like to post a lemonade recipe at this time of year – the start of consistently warmer temperatures, but National Lemonade Day is closer to the end of the summer. That just means I get to blog about my favorite Summer drink twice a year! I’m good with that. In the past, I have done a basic lemonade, a Limoncello-spiked lemonade, a peach lemonade, and a citrus lemonade. Naturally, they are all good – sweet-tart and refreshing. For 2020, the year most of us stuck closer to home far more often than we ever have in the past, an Earthy variation on lemonade seemed appropriate. Allow me to present Vanilla Rosemary Lemonade.

Vanilla, with its sweet-woody flavor is complemented by the strong lemon & pine astringent flavor of the herb rosemary. They complement each other perfectly when paired in lemonade. Drink this straight or with a touch of seltzer or club soda added to it for some fizz. Let’s get this Memorial Day weekend started!

Vanilla Rosemary Lemonade

Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade (adapted from a recipe from Little Savannah Restaurant in Birmingham, AL via southernliving.com)  Total Time Required: 4 hours 10 minutes, Hands-on Time: 40 minutes, Makes 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 3 small fresh rosemary sprigs
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups fresh lemon juice (about 24 lemons or 5 pounds of lemons)
• fresh rosemary sprigs, lemon slices, strawberries, or vanilla beans for garnish

Instructions:

Combine the sugar, vanilla bean, rosemary sprigs, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer the flavored simple syrup for 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat, and let it cool for 30 minutes.

Combine the vanilla bean & rosemary sprigs with the sugar for the simple syrup.

Pour the syrup through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding the solids. Stir in the fresh lemon juice.

Strain the simple syrup and add the lemon juice.

Cover and chill the lemonade for at least 3 hours. Stir just before serving over ice. Garnish, if desired.

Refreshing & Summery!

Here’s to getting outside this holiday!  ~Linda

Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade (adapted from a recipe from Little Savannah Restaurant in Birmingham, AL via southernliving.com)  Total Time Required: 4 hours 10 minutes, Hands-on Time: 40 minutes, Makes 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 3 small fresh rosemary sprigs
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups fresh lemon juice (about 24 lemons or 5 pounds of lemons)
• fresh rosemary sprigs, lemon slices, strawberries, or vanilla beans for garnish

Instructions:

Combine the sugar, vanilla bean, rosemary sprigs, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer the flavored simple syrup for 5 minutes. Remove it from heat, and let it cool for 30 minutes. Pour the syrup through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding the solids. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Cover and chill the lemonade for at least 3 hours. Stir just before serving over ice. Garnish, if desired.