You’ll be the life of the party when you bring out an ice-cold pitcher of Vodka Lemonade.
Recently, I “borrowed” the Wayback Machine from Mr. Peabody (Sherman owed me a favor), and I thought I’d take a little trip back in time to learn about some cocktail history. This past summer, my family enjoyed a few pitchers of Vodka Lemonade as we sat by the pool, so naturally I started wondering who thought this one up. After shaking Sherman down and hopping into the Wayback, I found myself in Lancashire, Pennsylvania, 1978.
The mists of time are a little hazy, and details sometimes get lost in the thickets of memories. It was late night and I wandered into a pretty nondescript bar, occupied by only a few people and a lone bartender, one Jacky Bevan. While I didn’t catch the name of this place, I did notice that Jacky had accidentally gotten a customer’s order wrong. Hey, it happens to the best of us. What was asked for was a gin & lime, but Jacky mixed it with vodka instead. Didn’t turn out so hot. Let’s just say the customer felt it was “unpalatable”. So our intrepid barkeep mixed it with lemonade, and the drink turned out brilliantly. What was born that night was the Vodka Lemonade, sometimes known as a Long Vodka.
Even without any spirits in it, there is nothing finer on a hot and sunny day than a tall, frosty glass of ice-cold lemonade. I was always used to powdered-mix drinks growing up, and was fine with them. But one day, back when I was a teenager, my family and I were tooling around an amusement park back East that was called Paramount King’s Dominion. In the 1990’s, this place had been rebranded by the famous movie studio, so you had franchise-themed attractions, like a Star Trek Ice Skating show (which was weird) and a “Days of Thunder” ride (which replaced the James Bond one… still salty about that). Anyway, my main memory of this particular day was the heat, and the lemonade. Made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and big juicy wedges of the fruit thrown in for good measure, this was the best beverage I had ever had in my life. How do you go back to powdered mixes after having raced Tom Cruise while sipping on some fresh lemonade?
What’s the point, you may ask? If you want the best Vodka Lemonade, you better squeeze that citrus. Sure you can use some store-bought brand and get to your cocktail drinking a little quicker, but trust me, there is nothing finer in this world than making it yourself. Totally worth the effort. Check out our recipe below and get ready to quench that thirst.
What is the Best Vodka to Use in a Vodka Lemonade?
You’ll want to grab a smooth mid-to-top shelf vodka for your Lemonade. We’ll be making a fair amount with this recipe today, and a nice spirit won’t break the bank and your cocktail will be better for it. A corn-distilled vodka is a little sweeter than a grain or potato-made one, and that always compliments the citrus flavor of the lemonade really nicely.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups vodka
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, combine 1 1/2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 3/4 cup of sugar.
- Pour in 2 cups of vodka and 5 cups of water into the pitcher with the lemon juice mixture.
- Stir the mixture well until the sugar is completely dissolved and the ingredients are fully combined.
- Serve the vodka lemonade in glasses filled with ice. Enjoy your homemade refreshment!
Nutrition
What kind of glass and garnish should be used for a Vodka Lemonade?
Fill up a slender highball glass with ice and garnish with a juicy lemon wedge. Your Vodka Lemonade will disappear in mere moments, you’ll be drinking it that quickly. Be careful!
Did you really steal the Wayback Machine from Mr. Peabody and Sherman?
You mean did I jump into a cartoon, rough up a talking dog’s ward and go back in time with his invention? Yes, yes I did.
Similar Cocktails to the Vodka Lemonade
Need more summer-time refreshments along the lines of the Vodka Lemonade? Twist & Toast has a number of mouth watering recipes that will please everyone at your next pool party. Check out some of them right here:
- Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Lemonade – Whiskey is the not-so-secret ingredient in this famous summertime tipple.
- Whiskey Highball – After a long hot day, there’s nothing finer than an ice-cold Highball.
- Tom Collins – Citrusy and fizzy, this gin-based cocktail is another great way to beat the heat.
- Sparkling Rose Margarita – What would summer be without a margarita? This sparkling wine topped version is one of the best.
Leave a Comment