Recipe by Lentz Ison
Yield: 1 drink.
2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ ounces simple syrup
1 teaspoon peach jam
4 basil leaves (optional)
2 ounces bourbon (Lentz likes CB Fisher’s Bottled in Bond Bourbon)
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
1 tablespoon peach jam
4 basil leaves (optional)
For the simple syrup: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
For the drink: Combine bourbon (if using), fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, peach jam, and basil leaves in a shaker tin (or a Mason jar with the lid closed). Add ice. Shake ingredients vigorously. Strain out ice and basil. Serve in glass with ice. Garnish with a basil leaf and peach slices (if desired).
Recipe by Lentz Ison
Yield: 1 drink.
2 ounces Earl Grey tea syrup (Lentz likes Greensboro-based BitterWitch Brews’ blend of Earl Grey tea)
2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
Soda water
2 ounces vodka (Lentz likes Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka)
1 ounce BitterWitch Earl Grey tea syrup
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Soda water
For the Earl Grey syrup: Steep Earl Grey tea bag in 1 cup of hot water per package directions. Add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
For the drink: Combine vodka (if using), Earl Grey syrup, and fresh lemon juice in a shaker tin (or a Mason jar with the lid closed). Add ice. Shake ingredients vigorously. Pour into a glass, top with soda water as desired, and enjoy. Garnish with a dried lemon slice and flower petals (if desired).
Recipe by Lynn Wells
Yield: 6 servings.
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
¼ cup whole, fresh basil leaves
¼ cup whole, fresh mint leaves
1½ cups fresh raspberries
1 gallon cold water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
Ice
1 lemon, sliced, for garnish
12 raspberries, for garnish
6 mint sprigs, for garnish
Make a simple syrup by adding the sugar, 2 cups of water, and basil and mint leaves to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When syrup has cooled, remove the basil and mint from the saucepan.
In a food processor, puree 1½ cups of raspberries. Place a fine sieve over a bowl. Pour the puree into the sieve, and use a spatula to press it through. Discard seeds.
Add the gallon of cold water and the lemon juice to a large pitcher. Add the simple syrup and the raspberry juice. Stir well. Pour the lemonade into tall glasses filled with ice. Garnish each with lemon slices, raspberries, and a mint sprig.
Recipe by Community Cookbook Series
Yields: 4 servings.
1½ cups peach nectar
½ cups water
1¼ cups rosemary simple syrup (recipe follows)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
In a 2-quart container, combine peach nectar, water, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled before serving.
1⅓ cups water
1 cup sugar
4 (5-inch) stalks fresh rosemary
Combine water, sugar, and rosemary in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a container to remove rosemary stalks and leaves. Let syrup cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Recipe by Community Cookbook Series
Makes 4-6 servings.
1 cup sugar
6 cups water
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed, stems removed
Juice of 6 large lemons
Ice
Slices of fresh lemon, for garnish
Mix sugar, water, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Warm over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once sugar has completely dissolved, remove pan from heat, and pour mixture into a large glass pitcher. Combine blueberries with the lemon juice in a blender, and puree. Add to the pitcher, and stir well to blend. Pour lemonade through a sieve to remove the blueberry skins. Chill from 2 hours up to 24 hours. Pour lemonade over tall, ice-filled glasses, and garnish each with a lemon slice.
Recipe by Julie Ruble
Blueberry Lemonade:
½ cup sugar
1 cup blueberries
½ cup lemon juice
2 ½ cups water, divided
Cocktail Punch:
1 cup vodka
5 cups ginger ale, chilled
1 750-milliliter bottle champagne, chilled
Lemon slices
Superfine sugar for garnishing glass rims
Frozen blueberries as “ice cubes” (optional)
For the blueberry lemonade: In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix 1/2 cup water, blueberries, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and wait for berries burst, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 cups water. Chill until cold.
For the cocktail punch: Add vodka to pitcher. Just before serving, stir in ginger ale and frozen blueberries. Run lemon slice along rim of each serving glass. Coat rim with dip with superfine sugar, tapping gently to discard the excess. Fill each glass with equal parts spiked blueberry lemonade and champagne.
Recipe by Wendy Perry
Yield: About 6-8 servings.
1 quart green tea, chilled
1½ quarts lemonade, plus 2 cups, chilled
6 cups watermelon
2 lemons, cut into small pieces
2-3 ice cube trays, depending on size
Puree watermelon in blender and strain. Add 1 cup of lemonade for every 2 cups of watermelon juice. Put 2 or 3 pieces of diced lemon into each cube section. Fill trays with melon-juice mixture. Freeze for several hours or overnight.
To serve, fill glasses with watermelon cubes. Top with half tea and half lemonade.
Recipe by Amy Brinkley
1 part bourbon
2 parts lemonade
1 part triple sec (orange liqueur)
Sprig of rosemary for garnish (optional)
Pour ingredients in a glass over ice and stir to combine.
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