Lemonade is as American–especially Southern American–as cherry pie–see my upcoming blog about that–and I’d be remiss if I didn’t share one of my favorite summertime drinks–Cherry Lemonade. Cherry season is almost at an end here, so I thought I’d give the last of my cherries a brilliant send off, by highlighting them in two recipes. If it’s too late in the season and you can’t find a fresh cherry anywhere–then use frozen cherries–skip thawing them, and blend them frozen with the lemon and the sugar. Doing so will allow you to omit the use of ice cubes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh cherries (pits and stems removed)
1 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of maple sugar (can sub other sugars, and if you like your lemonade on the sweet side use more sugar)
3 cups of water
ice for chilling
Directions: To a blender add the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar and blend until well combined. Add this mixture to a pitcher, with the water and some ice, mix well, serve and enjoy.