There’s still time for a Perfect Picnic this summer! My Raspberry Lemonade is deliciously refreshing, and ever so easy to make.
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A picnic is a great excuse to pack up your favourite home-made and shop-bought treats, throw a blanket on the ground and tuck in with your friends and families.
And if the weather turns really bad, you could always take the picnic indoors instead, like the boys and I did recently.
I like to buy some of our favourite bits and pieces from the shops, but I always try to take along at least one home-made item as well.
This Raspberry Lemonade is absolutely perfect for your picnic. It’s deliciously tangy and you can make it as sweet or sharp as you like. It’s much more refreshing than shop bought lemonade, and the colour is amazing!
Raspberry Lemonade is really easy to make, and most of the preparation can be done ahead of time at home. If you are taking this on a picnic, I would recommend chilling a flask and then pouring in the raspberry puree and sweetened lemon juice. You can just top it up with still or sparkling water when you reach your destination.
And if you aren’t driving, adding a splash of limoncello to your glass makes this lemonade a very grown-up treat!
Raspberry Lemonade (makes around 1.5 litres)
100g Raspberries
10 Lemons
200g Caster sugar plus more to taste
1 litre still or sparkling water, chilled
Mash the raspberries roughly with a fork, then press them through a sieve to give a bright pink puree.
Juice the lemons – I find them easier to juice if you roll them on a worksurface first, pressing down hard on the lemon. It breaks down some of the cell walls and the juice comes out easier.
Pour the lemon juice into a large jug and add the caster sugar. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved into the lemon juice, then stir in the raspberry puree.
Taste the mixture at this point. Both the lemon juice and the raspberry puree are rather tart so you might want to add a little extra sugar.
Chill the juice until needed, and then add plenty of ice and top up with the chilled water.
Serve with ice, a straw, and a dash of limoncello if you wish!