Tag Archives: Vodka

Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Holly

Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.

Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!

Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade

Serves: 1 Small Pitcher

A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.

Ingredients

- 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)

- 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)

- 4 TBS Hot Water

32 oz Cold Water

Instructions

1. Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.

1. In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.

1. Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water

Serve plain or with one of the following variations

For Strawberry Lemonade

Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.

For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!

For Iced Tea Lemonade

For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade

For an adult beverage: Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!

Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!

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POSTED IN: Honey, iced tea, lemonade, lemons, strawberries, Thirsty Thursday, Vodka

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Thirsty Thursday: Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Holly

I am no stranger to cocktail filled evenings spent outside on a patio wasting away the last few hours of summer light. Actually I have fond memories of evenings like that, but honestly these days with 3:45am wake up calls, workout filled weeks and action packed weekends, I can’t afford the morning-after consequences that come with those memories. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a complete tee-totaler and watch the season go by with nary an adult beverage, you know?

This beverage is my compromise.

Refreshingly devoid of sugary, syrupy mixers yet still packing the kind of punch that you hope for when reaching for a cocktail, this Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler fits the bill to perfection. I have to warn you about two things though:

1. They go down easy

2. You actually need to starts brewing it up a few days before you drink it.

Enter: Strawberry Infused Vodka.

I followed this recipe to make the base of the cocktail, and just because it was super easy, I made some Pineapple Infused Vodka too (equally delicious!)

If you have 3 days, fruit, vodka and a dark closet — you can do this, I promise.

Once I had the strawberry vodka base, I wanted a mixer that was refreshing and low in caloric density. I can’t bust my butt all the time at CrossFit just to drink all my hard work away 500 calories at a time with a margarita, you know? (I prefer to eat my hard work away, remember?)

Enter: Mint Sparkling Water

By itself, I think peppermint sparkling is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s delicious, but just a little different, you know? However as a cocktail mixer?

HOLY HELL, IT IS AMAZING.

Add 3 Parts chilled Mint Sparkling Water to 2 Parts chilled Strawberry Infused Vodka, throw in a few frozen strawberries to make the whole ensemble, and drink up! I mean, using sparkling water as a mixer practically means you are hydrating while you drink!