After making an icebox cake for dessert last weekend, I still had some leftover blackberries and a lemon. I was craving a refreshing drink so I mashed up the blackberries, squeezed out all of the juice of the lemon, added some sugar and water, and made blackberry lemonade. The blackberry lemonade featured sweetness from the blackberries balanced with tartness from the lemon. I usually don’t make a lot of lemonades during the cooler months, but I made an exception this weekend. This weekend was also a long weekend for me, so I took advantage of this time to plan my Thanksgiving dinner menu, draft my holiday shopping list, catch up on shows I missed during the week, and plan meals for the upcoming week. Kevin didn’t have a long weekend, so he just used the time to try to get as far as he can in Red Dead Redemption II. He did take a few breaks throughout the day to enjoy brunch and my refreshing blackberry lemonade. Our home has been extremely cold for the last few weeks even with the heat on. In order to thoroughly enjoy my drink, I actually had to wrap myself up in a fleece blanket. The temperature in Ohio has been in the low thirties for the last few weeks, which made me not want to leave my home. Other than picking up groceries on Friday and going out for dinner on Saturday, I stayed in, cooked a couple of meals, watched my favorite fall shows, and kept myself bundled up in a onesie and a fleece blanket. I just love having long weekends where I can actually relax at home. The best part about November is I get to have a long weekend this weekend and then another extra long weekend for Thanksgiving in two weeks.
Blackberry Lemonade
· Handful of blackberries (about 3-4 ounces)
· 1½ tablespoons fine sugar
· 1 whole lemon, juiced
· 1 cup warm water
· 1 cup cool water
· 10-12 ice cubes
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, add the blackberries and sugar. Mash the blackberries and sugar with a spoon or fork. Add the lemon juice and warm water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cool water. Divide the lemonade into two glass jars and top with ice cubes before serving.
Takeaways: The lemonade is equally delicious with strawberries and blueberries. My favorite variation of this lemonade is made with mashed strawberries. I make strawberry lemonade a lot during the summer especially on hot days. I’ve also combined the lemonade with unsweetened tea to make a fruity version of the classic Arnold Palmer.