Blueberry Mint Lemonade

What does summertime bring for you? Grilling out - BBQ ribs and veggie kebabs, spending some time on the water soaking up the sun, fresh guacamole with crisp corn tortilla chips - roasting marshmallows and making gooey dark chocolate s'mores. Mmmmm! Those neighborhood kids with their sweet lemonade stands. Ah, brings back memories of overly tart lemony watered-down from too long in the sun you-call-that-lemonade?. But now, being eh-hem years old, taste buds demand more sophisticated and flavorful fruity drinks. That's why this recipe came in handy when throwing the Nonnie & Squeaks' Launch Party. Here's the Blueberry Mint Lemonade we served - hope you enjoy the refreshing taste as much as we all did. 

Blueberry Mint Lemonade

• 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
• 3 oranges (med to small) worth of freshly squeezed juice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 fry pint of fresh blueberries, rinsed and stems removed
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, rinsed and patted dry
• 8 cups water
• 3/4 cup vodka (optional)
• 
  
•          First collect the lemon and orange juice in a large pitcher (pulp to your preference). In a separate container, mash the blueberries until they are a deep magenta color, and resemble the texture of a rather soft jam. Strain the juice from the blueberries into the lemon-orange juice (I used a spatula to press the fruit juice through the strainer, as the pulp started to clog at the bottom). Chop up or crush the mint leaves and add them to the mix. Whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Refrigerate overnight (or an hour if you are on a time crunch - but it's better after 10 hours or so). Next day: strain the mint out of the mix, stir in the water, and pour over ice. Blueberries and fresh whole mint leaves make a lovely garnish. Hot Pink Lemonade!

This recipe was inspired by one served at Bottega Louie in downtown Los Angeles, and adapted from Gaby Dalkin's own creation on http://whatsgabycooking.com/blueberry-mint-lemonade/