The pink lemonade sold in the market usually has a similar taste to regular lemonade. The only difference is in the food coloring used for the pink lemonade. If you just want to get lemonade in a different color, you can make your own at home using the same trick. But why use food coloring when you can get the same color from fruit or juice? In addition, fruit can also add a more pleasant aroma to your pink lemonade.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups / 355 g lemon juice (about 10 medium lemons)
- 4½ cups / 1065 g mineral water
- 2 cups / 480 g cranberry juice, pomegranate, or more water
- 1 cup / 240 g white sugar
- cup / 190 g raspberries or strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Choice:
- ice
- basil or mint leaves
- red food coloring
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making Pink Lemonade with Fruit or Juice
Step 1. Mix sugar and water
Stir 1 cup (240 g) of white sugar into 4½ cups (1125 g) of mineral water until dissolved. If you're using granulated sugar, it's a good idea to warm the mixture on the stove to make dissolving easier.
If you want a more sour lemonade, just add cup (160 g) of sugar
Step 2. Mix all the liquid ingredients
Prepare a drinking container such as a teapot that can hold at least 2½ liters of water, then add a mixture of sugar water, 1½ cups (375 g) of lemon juice, and 2 cups (500 g) of cranberry juice or other red fruit into it.
- If you want a sweeter lemonade, simply add 1 cup (240 g) of lemon juice.
- For another alternative, you can replace the red fruit juice with water. Since the fruit itself will only give it a slight color, add a few drops of red food coloring as well.
Step 3. Add fruit
Place the strawberry and raspberry pieces in the pot. Especially for raspberries, make sure you include raspberries that have been extracted. The trick is to mash the fruit in a separate bowl, then filter it using a cotton cloth, gauze, or other fine sieve.
- This step is only an option for those of you who have added fruit juice. However, giving your own pieces of fruit can really add to the delicacy and freshness of the lemonade.
- Let the frozen fruit thaw for a few minutes.
- Raspberries will provide more color than strawberries. However, frozen raspberries provide much more color than fresh raspberries because the parts of the fruit that have been coated with ice crystals will crack and spread later.
Step 4. Cool, garnish and serve
Store the lemonade in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can also add garnish by adding a lemon wedge and a few mint leaves to the pot.
Method 2 of 2: Making Pink Lemonade with Syrup
Step 1. Combine fruit, sugar and water in a saucepan
Combine cup (180 g) raspberries, 1 cup (240 g) water, and 1 cup (240 g) white sugar in a medium saucepan.
If you are using frozen fruit, allow the fruit to thaw about 10 minutes before starting
Step 2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then stir
Place the pot on the stove over medium heat and let it simmer. When it looks like it's starting to get hot or boiling, stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved so it doesn't build up in the lemonade later.
Step 3. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat
Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer until the fruit inside begins to spread. This process usually takes 10-12 minutes for raspberries and about 20 minutes for strawberries. If the syrup still doesn't turn pink, stir in the fruit and press it against the sides of the pan.
Step 4. Strain the mixture into the pot
Pour the syrup mixture into the pot while straining. Press the fruit against the strainer using the back of a spoon to remove more juice and color.
Step 5. Wait for the mixture to cool
Let the syrup cool for about 15 minutes. After that, store in the refrigerator with the container open for 30 minutes.
While waiting, squeeze out some lemon juice if you're doing it yourself
Step 6. Mix the syrup with the remaining mineral water and lemon juice
Add 1½ cups (355 g) of lemon juice and 3½ cups (830 g) of mineral water to a saucepan filled with syrup and stir.
You may want to add cup (120 g) of mineral water and lemon juice at a time, but first taste the lemonade to see if you want to add more lemon juice or plain water
Step 7. Cool before serving
If you don't plan on drinking lemonade in the next few hours, add some fresh basil to add some flavor to the lemonade. Don't forget to remove the old basil leaves and replace them with new ones for garnish before serving.
Tips
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice usually tastes better than lemon juice that has been stored for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can't use bottled lemon water. Make sure the product you buy contains 100% lemon juice, and is not a lemonade mixture.
- Add ice cubes to the glass, not the pitcher, to avoid adding water when the ice cubes melt.
- Taste the lemonade before serving. Lemons have a variety of flavors, from very sour to slightly sweet, and everyone has their own preferences. You can add mineral water, sugar, or lemon juice to adjust it to your desired taste.
