Is there anything more refreshing than a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day? Well, actually, there might be! Camp Counselor Leslie is leading today's Mess Hall with our most refreshing recipe yet.
Lemonade is a summer staple in our house, and this watermelon lemonade is a refreshing twist on an old classic, with an added bonus of generating a lot more lemonade thanks to the bulk that watermelon brings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, grown up supervision required.
What you'll need:
- Blender (or food processor)
- Lemon juicer
- Large heat-safe bowl
- Cheesecloth or fine metal sieve
- Two bowls to hold the melon + lemon juice.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups watermelon chunks (black seeds removed)
- 1.5C fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- 4 cups hot water
- ¼ of a lime
- 1 full lemon sliced (optional)
- 1 cup watermelon pieces cut into “french fry” shape (optional)
- Handful fresh mint (optional)
Instructions:
- Using a lemon juicer, collect 1.5 cups of fresh lemon juice. You can use store bought lemon juice as well, but my kiddos like to make the juice themselves.
- Pour the juice through a metal sieve to remove the pulp and any seeds and set aside.
- Add the watermelon to a blender (or food processor) and blend on high to break down as much of the melon fiber as possible. It should appear very soupy.
- Using a cheese cloth of fine metal sieve, pour the watermelon juice through to remove the fiber remaining. Pour in small batches as there is quite a bit of fiber that will be collected. If using a cheesecloth, squeeze with your hands over the bowl to get the liquid out. If using the sieve, use a wooden spoon to help push the liquid through as discard the pulp after each pour. Set the melon juice aside.
- In a large heat safe bowl, warm 4 cups of water so that it is warm enough to fully dissolve the honey. For me that was 2 minutes.
- Add the melon juice, and the lemon juice, and the honey. Mix well to dissolve.
- Taste time, feel free to add more honey as desired.
- Squeeze lime juice in to taste.
- Put the bowl in the fridge to chill before serving. (at least 2 hours)
To serve: Pour over ice and garnish with sliced lemon, watermelon chunks, and mint. Keeps well in fridge up to a week. Stir well before serving.
Resources:
- Shop the post: Coastal Grid Sunbonnet
- Follow Leslie on Instagram