Cherry Lemonade

It’s no secret that I share quite a few summer drink recipes around these parts, but every good host knows he needs several top notch refreshing lemonade recipes in his stash — a Blueberry Lemonade and a Peach Mint Lemonade are definitely not enough.
This family friendly Cherry Lemonade is one of my fave for the hot summer days and nights.
I love to keep a pitcher made up to enjoy. If family and friends are coming over, I pour it in tall glasses with a couple of lemon slices and lots of ice: Max results, minimum effort!

This lemonade starts with a simple cherry syrup sweetness. The cherries — which on a side note are in season so you can use fresh ingredients — get boiled down into a sweet syrup.
Which is then stirred with a handful of freshly squeezed lemons, a few cups of cold water and if you like, you can always add some fresh cherries for a pop of color.
Simple, quick, and so easy to make.
And there’s no need to pit cherries since the solids are strained out from the syrup and discarded. And we all know how tedious pitting cherries is...

Not only do the cherries give this lemonade that nice reddish-pink hue, they also add a subtle sweet flavor to this sweet yet tart lemonade.
This thirst-quenching lemonade literally has it all.
If you like, add a splash of vodka, bourbon or rum to transform this healthy lemonade into a refreshing summer cocktail. No judgement. Ha!

Cherry Lemonade                                                                                                                                       Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 6

1 ½ cups fresh cherries
6 cups of water, divided
Zest of one lemon
½ cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Place cherries, 1 cup of water, lemon zest, and sugar in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, lower to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the cherries start to soften.
Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and let cool for 20 minutes.
Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl, pressing to release as much liquid as possible. Drain solids.
Add lemon juice and water, and stir to combine.
Strain it into a large pitcher and refrigerate (if you like your lemonade with the lemon pulp, don’t strain it.)
When ready to serve, pour into ice filled glasses garnished with a couple of lemon slices.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 95 calories, 0 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of protein.