Are drinks at the bottom of the list when planning your Fourth of July party? I know they’re not as exciting to plan as what goes on the grill or what kind of sides to serve. But there are so many easy ways to reinvent lemonade from something ho-hum to a party favorite. Big bonus: You can keep your kids busy prepping this drink so you can ready the rest of the meal!
Here are a few ideas for making raspberry lemonade.
You can pick up fresh or frozen raspberries, puree them and then mix them into your drink to give it a pinky hue, along with a tart berry flavor. Or use the fruit puree to make raspberry ice cubes instead. I like the novelty – and fun – of making the colorful ice cubes. Plus they’re so easy: Add raspberries and a little water to the blender, puree, then pour into ice cube trays. A friend recently passed along some of her candy molds, so I used those instead of a tray. Just pour the puree into the mold (keep in mind that the puree will get expand and get bigger as it freezes, so you shouldn’t overfill it). Then, I put decorative paper umbrellas and swords into the puree – my kids loved that. Pop the cubes into the freezer for 45 minutes or so; then, carefully remove them from the mold or tray once they’re solid.
I made a stack of these ice cubes to add to the lemonade when I served it. The candy mold I happened to have on hand was of tiny turtles. Yeah, I wish I would’ve had something a little more … patriotic. But hey, the kids thought the turtles were great!
