Whether you’re looking to celebrate summer in July or dream of it in February, this is the drink to do it with! There’s plenty of room for customization in this recipe – don’t be scared to change the berries in the sauce (or change it to something completely different… peach? mango???) or add something fresh like some mint to give it an even more refreshing feel. You can also add different spirits (Rum? Yum!), or none at all! This is as good a mocktail as it is a cocktail.
If for whatever crazy, ill advised, unfortunate reason you don’t watch the video below, it may be helpful to know that this recipe was written during the winter. Rejecting reality may not be the most healthy of instincts, especially when you mix that with alcohol… but I think of this a little bit differently. There are some activities that we save for specific times of year for no reason other than tradition. My mom makes peppermint brownies every Christmas, but it’s not like those ingredients don’t exist the other 51 weeks of the year. Nothing’s keeping us from enjoying those same delicious brownies in May or September.
Sure – saving certain things for a single part of the year can make it more special. In spite of what it sounds like, I’m not advocating for year-round Christmas cookies. But, if you’re a little bummed for whatever reason, be it the weather, or work or relationships or just the general existential dread that’s built into you as a human being, don’t be afraid to bend the rules occasionally for the sake of your mental health.
Ingredients for the lemonade:
- 7 lemons
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 cups cold water
Recipe for Chef John’s State Fair Lemonade
Ingredients for berry sauce
- 10 oz berries (in the videos, it was half strawberries and half raspberries)
- juice from 1/2 lemon (~1-1-1/2 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp cornstarch mixed into 3 tbsp water
Assembly for one tall glass:
- 1/2 the lemonade, frozen into ice cubes
- Sauce to taste (~2 tbsp used in video)
- 2 shots vodka
- Water as needed to thin mixture
- Slice of lemon and a raspberry for garnish
Fun fact about the video: It was actually pretty early in the morning when we shot the last scene, and since I didn’t want more vodka that what was needed for the video at 9 am, I threw the glass in the freezer for enjoyment later. The consistency changed to something like Italian ice, and it was delightful to eat with a spoon after dinner that evening.