Basil Infused Watermelon Lemonade Recipes

WATERMELON LEMONADE

Steps:

• Peel the watermelon and cut the flesh into large chunks. Purée them in a blender until smooth. Pour the purée through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard the solids.
• Pour the strained watermelon into an ice-cube tray (plastic, not silicon). Freeze until solid.
• Make simple syrup: In a small saucepan combine sugar with 1 cup water, and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and chill.
• In another pot bring 6 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat, and add lemon rinds and pulp. Cover, let steep for 10 minutes and then strain.
• Combine strained liquid in a pitcher with lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Fruit mixture and simple syrup can be refrigerated separately for a couple of days, until needed.)
• Before serving, add simple syrup to taste, and add vodka to make it boozy if you like. Serve in glasses over the watermelon ice cubes.

BASIL LEMONADE

Steps:

• Stir water, lemonade, sugar, and lime juice together in a pitcher. Add 1/2 cup basil leaves, stir to combine, cover the pitcher, and refrigerate until flavors combine, 8 hours to overnight. Remove basil leaves and discard.

WATERMELON LEMONADE

Steps:

• Place the watermelon into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 cups of cold water and the lemon juice. Divide the ice into 12 glasses, and scoop 2 to 3 tablespoons of watermelon puree over the ice, then top with the lemonade. Gently stir before serving.

BASIL-INFUSED WATERMELON LEMONADE

Steps:

• 1. Combine 1 cup of water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Let chill for 1 hour. Strain sugar mixture through a sieve over a bowl, and discard basil.
• 2. Place watermelon in a blender; process until smooth.
• 3. Pour watermelon puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl, reserving liquid; discard solids. Combine watermelon liquid, sugar mixture, and juice in a pitcher; chill.
• 4. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and basil sprigs and serve! VARIATION: Add about 8 ice cubes to the watermelon before blending. Do not strain when done. The result is more like a frozen lemonade or virgin margarita.