Pink Lemonade

Every wonder what the pink in pink lemonade was? (besides artificial colors, of which there is none in this recipe). I know I did all the time. The flavor is slightly different...the color is way off. I always wondered what made is so different. I mean, why dye lemonade pink? Seems a bit absurd to me.

Turns out it's cranberries.

I suppose you could make it with strawberries, but then it becomes strawberry lemonade, and we all know that strawberry lemonade and pink lemonade are entirely different things.



Here's how to do it: (Or, at least how I did it...I don't really follow recipes, I guess I can't really expect you to.)

Pink Lemonade

1-1 1/4 C sugar (depending on how sweet you like your lemonade)
1 C Water
1 1/2 C frozen whole cranberries
1 C lemon juice

Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and the sugar to a low boil.

Add the cranberries to the boiling mixture, and continue boiling until the cranberries break apart and you can easily mash them with a wooden spoon. Mash them up while still in the pot, getting all the big chuncks mashed.

Strain the cranberry/sugar syrup into a pitcher. Slowly pour an aditional 3-4 C water through the strainer, mixing it with the cranberry pulp to get all the color and flavor out of the pulp.

Add the lemon juice to the pitcher.

Stir, then chill, or serve immediately over ice.

Yum.