Raspberry-Watermelon Lemonade
Every year my dad takes the time to painstakingly pick the raspberries that grow wild in the tree line of their farm. I can say that it’s a bit painful because growing up, it was my siblings and I who “got” to do this task. The berries are ABSOLUTELY worth it, for sure. They are the freshest, most flavorful raspberries I’ve ever tasted.
I am thankful that my dad is generous and shares so many of those glorious berries he picks. He and my mom certainly don’t go through all of them – they love to make raspberry pies, my mom makes raspberry jam, and my dad makes raspberry wine every year (which is quite the treat!). Because of the large number of raspberry canes that they have, they get A LOT of berries every year, and my dad picks them all no matter what. He’s certainly dedicated!
A couple of days after one of my berry deliveries, I was having friends over. Being a hot summer day, I thought it would be perfect to have some lemonade to serve (spiked or not!). I decided to take it up a notch by adding black raspberries and watermelon (equally as abundant and flavorful at this time of the year).
If you’ve never had black raspberries, I’ll tell you, they have quite a few seeds, and the seeds are a bit more pronounced than in red raspberries. So, to make this drink, I strained out the seeds. It’s take a bit of time, but is definitely worth it. And, overall, this is still pretty quick to whip together. Plus, just 4 ingredients!
Watermelon adds a lot of sweetness, which means I didn’t need to add much sweetener – I chose honey because it goes so well with all three fruits in the drink. It’s simple, refreshing, and delicious, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Raspberry-Watermelon Lemonade How To Photos:
Don’t these look fantastic? They are so fresh!
Ready to cook the raspberries
Cook the raspberries slightly. This will help break down the pulp to make more juice.
Puree the raspberries. It will make it easier to strain out the juice!
Straining out the raspberry seeds
The raspberry seeds that get discarded – it may not look like much, but it makes a huge difference to take time to strain them out!
I use raw honey! It’s got many health benefits and is really flavorful.
Watermelon quarter. Mine was about 4 pounds.
Pureeing the watermelon.
There will be some pulp to discard after straining the watermelon and lemon juice.
Refreshing!
Raspberry-Watermelon Lemonade
Yield: 9 cups (12 servings)
Nutrition Info (per serving): 99 cals, 1 g pro, 25 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g sat fat, 4 g fiber, 2 mg sodium
Ingredients:
6 cups black or red raspberries
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1 quarter of a medium watermelon (about 4 pounds), peeled and cut up
6 lemons, juiced (about 3/4 cup)
Club soda, chilled (optional)
Method:
1. In a large saucepan combine raspberries and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Transfer to a blender. Cover and blend just until pureed. Press berries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, catching the juice in a large bowl. Use the back of a large spoon to press on pureed berries to help strain out the seeds more quickly. Discard seeds.
2. Add honey to raspberry juice. Stir until honey is dissolved. In the same blender combine watermelon and lemon juice. Cover and blend until smooth, stopping blender and pushing watermelon down as needed. Press pureed watermelon through the same sieve to remove any pulp, catching the juice in the bowl with the raspberry juice. Stir until well combined. Transfer to a pitcher.
3. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days before serving. Pour lemonade into ice-filled glasses.
Raspberry-Watermelon Lemonade Spritzer: Fill ice-filled glasses half full of the raspberry-watermelon lemonade. Add club soda to fill glass. Mix gently.
Tip: Spike with Vodka and top with a splash of chilled club soda for a super-fabulous summer cocktail!
