Lemonade Freeze

Ever since I made these Mint Mojitos, I have been quite creative in the kitchen with all sorts of summer drinks, including things like lemon-cucumber water, and fizzy mango punch, and fresh squeezed lemonade, to name a few. It's so easy to make a simple syrup and throw in some fresh lemon juice or other fresh fruit that most of the time I don't measure anything, which works out well since my husband typically likes things sweeter than I do. We can doctor up our own glass to taste and both be completely content. 

The other day as I was making some lemonade, he suggested that I blend in a bunch of ice to make it more like a slushy. We are truly kids at heart, and both of us have a strange adoration for slushies, so naturally I thought this was a brilliant idea. Usually when making lemonade, I add water and ice, but to make this lemonade freeze, I only added ice. It started out very tart, how I like it, but mellowed out as the drink melted a little. You might want to have some extra simple syrup ready in case your lemons are naturally more sour, depending on how you like your lemonade. 

I recommend using a blender, if you have one. However, I don't have a blender, so I used a large plastic pitcher and my immersion blender, which did the trick perfectly. 

Lemonade Freeze

Makes 3 to 4 servings

5 to 6 lemons, to make 3/4 cup juice

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

20 to 30 ice cubes
Lemon slices, to garnish

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the the sugar and the water. Heat for a few minutes just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can put the sugar syrup in the fridge or the freezer to speed up the cooling process.

2. Fill a blender with the ice cubes. Pour the lemon juice and sugar syrup over the ice, and blend until the the mixture is smooth and slushy. Pour into glasses immediately and garnish with lemon slices. Enjoy!  

Non-alcoholic Mint Mojitos

Last week I got a text from a friend asking if I wanted some fresh basil and mint. I said of course, and was shocked when she brought over two huge bags of each! I have had no problem using the basil in a million different things, but I was a little stumped with what I should do with so much mint. I spent quite a bit of time looking up recipes, and since my husband does not like lamb in any form and that's the pairing I mostly found for the mint, I decided to stick to the beverage world. If anyone has other suggestions for great things to do with fresh mint I would love to hear them!

Limes were on sale when I went to the store and thanks to a friend's suggestion, I decided on Mint Mojitos, the non-alcoholic kind, of course. An afternoon with a great friend making homemade marshmallows and graham crackers was the perfect time to try them out, and they really were spectacular. I also made them for the whole family this weekend, which ended my large mint supply. I am actually now wishing I had more mint so that I could make them again!

Mint Mojito
Makes 1

Crushed ice
8 mint leaves
3 oz. lime juice, about 1 lime
1 1/2 oz. simple syrup*, or more
2-4 oz. club soda, or more
More mint or lime slices, for garnish

1. Fill a glass 1/3 of the way with ice, then add the mint leaves on top.

2. Add the lime juice and the simple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, lightly crush the mint leaves, being careful not to tear them.

3. Fill the glass with more ice, then add the club soda to the top. Depending on the limes and your personal preference, you may want to add a little more simple syrup or club soda.

4. Garnish with a few more mint leaves or lime slices and enjoy!

*To make a simple syrup, heat equal parts sugar and water in a sauce pan just until the sugar has dissolved. You can store any leftover syrup in the fridge. I usually use at least 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.

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