Vibrant, citrusy and effervescent, try the Lemonade Cocktail at your next backyard barbecue this summer.
When the winter months have landed, and the temperatures are below freezing, and the winds howl and batter the walls of your home, summertime can seem very far away. You’re curled up on the couch, wrapped in blankets, possibly even shivering a little, and dreaming of bright, sunny days. The icy rain is pelting the windows while you sip on a cup of hot tea, wishing it was a tropical cocktail adorned with tiny little umbrellas.
You begin to doze off, and your thoughts soon drift to a place that’s not so far away… your own backyard. The sun is bright, and the sky is a deep, royal blue. It’s hot, too, and you can feel beads of sweat rolling down the sides of your face. The pool looks cool and inviting, but before taking a dip, you’d much prefer a sip or two of something cold, strong and sweet. What would a hot day be without a lemonade? So why not try an extra tart, citrusy and refreshing cocktail, like the Lemonade Cocktail?
Some libations that bear the moniker “lemonade” are a combination of a spirit and the lemon, water and sugar mixture. But this one is different, being more intense in its flavor. Lemons are muddled with vodka, then topped with lemon-lime soda over ice. Fizzy, fresh and quells the thirst, the Lemonade Cocktail is exactly what a hot and idyllic lazy day is made for.
The snowy gales outside wake you up, with your thoughts still lingering on the tipple you had been dreaming of. You roll your head to the side, staring out the window at the blizzard that’s snowing you in.
The summer can’t come fast enough.
What Is The Best Vodka To Use In A Lemonade Cocktail?
You can go a few different routes when it comes to choosing what vodka you’d like to craft your Lemonade Cocktail with. Whenever I mix up any drink that calls for the spirit, I’ll opt for an unflavored wheat or potato-distilled bottle, usually Chopin. It’s a wonderfully clean and crisp product from Poland, and I always keep a bottle at my home bar. You can also go with a citron vodka to give your Lemonade Cocktail more of a citrusy, zesty zip.
Ingredients
- 2 small lemons thinly sliced, reserve one slice for garnish
- 2 ounces vodka
- 5 ounces lemon-lime soda
Instructions
- Place the lemon slices in a mixing glass. Pour the vodka over the lemons and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then, use a muddler to gently mash the lemon slices to release their juices.
- Strain the lemon-vodka mixture into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Top with lemon-lime soda and stir gently before garnishing with the reserved lemon slice.
Nutrition
WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH ARE USED?
After you’ve muddled your cocktail together in a mixing glass, fill a highball glass with ice and strain your drink into it, topping it with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a lemon wheel and enjoy.
CAN THIS BE MADE AS A PINK LEMONADE COCKTAIL?
You can add a dash of grenadine, cranberry juice or even a little red food coloring to make this drink a pink one.
Similar Drinks To The Lemonade Cocktail
Anything that has the word “lemonade” attached to it, and I’m drawn like a magnet. I love, love, LOVE the refreshing and thirst-quenching magic that lemon juice, sugar and water combined can conjure. If I see a lemonade stand anywhere while I’m out and about, my money will be spent on whatever they’re selling. But you don’t have to leave the house to enjoy a citrus cocktail, filled with the buoyant flavor of lemons. Try some of these fun and tasty recipes out this weekend.
- Arnold Palmer – A popular alcohol-free concoction invented by the golf legend it’s named after.
- Bourbon Lemonade – A tart and smoky-tasting tipple, perfect on a hot and humid day.
- Shandy Beer – If you don’t know about the joys of combining beer and lemonade, it’s high time you did.
- Electric Lemonade – Next time, serve your friends this blue and fizzy beverage.
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