Blackberry Lemonade

There’s the cutest little restaurant downtown where I live and they have awesome sandwiches and the best Blackberry Lemonade ever!! It’s like sweet nectar!! We only go and get the lemonade for a special treat every now and again, but it’s so good! With blackberries in their prime right now and on sale at the store, I thought it would be perfect to try making my own at home.  While mine wasn’t quite as good as the one at Gardener’s Market, it was still really delicious and refreshing! Very sweet and just a hint of tartness.  This is a great refreshing drink for summer! And you could easily double it for a crowd. The recipe below made about a 1/2 a pitcher.

Blackberry Lemonade
Source: slightly adapted from Eat, Drink, Love

Ingredients:

For the Blackberry Syrup:
1 to 1 1/2 cups blackberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

For the Lemonade:
6 to 8 lemons, juiced (approx. 3/4 cup to 1 cup)
5 to 6 cups water
Blackberry Syrup
Optional: Additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

For the Syrup:
Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add in the 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar.  Stir together and heat until the sugar dissolves completely.  Add in the blackberries and stir together.  Cook until the mixture just comes to a boil, and then continue to cook, for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the blackberries are mostly broken down.

Remove mixture from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve, with a bowl underneath to catch the syrup. Discard the solids remaining in the sieve. Set aside the syrup and allow it to cool completely.

For the Lemonade:
Pour the lemon juice, blackberry syrup and 5 cups of water together in a pitcher.  Stir together and taste.  If desired, add additional sugar, 1/4 cup at a time and add up to another cup of water, a little at a time, to taste. (For mine, I added an additional 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar and maybe just a tad more sugar).  Chill for at least 30 minutes and serve.