Lemon Ade-- Adult Beverage Style

Better Homes and Gardens comes to our house, for reasons I am very unsure of, but it comes and sometimes it gets read and more often than not, it ends up in a pile to be recycled or cut up. I am making an effort to look at it more. They do have very sensible home decorating ideas. The recipes are hit or miss.

In the June issue I spotted a recipe for a Rosemary Lemon Drop. I read through it and decided immediately that I had to make it. Now would be a good time to say that I suffer from summer drink envy. Fun and festive drinks are just not my forte. I know so many friends who make fantastic sangria, tremendous ice teas, and great mixed drinks. I am not one of these people. I aspire to be one of these people, but currently, I am not one of those drink specialists.

This Adult Beverage, as E dubbed it, is very easy to make.

Here is what you will need for my version, which is a half version of what was in the June BHG.

1.5 bottles of white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, I personally think it would work with a nice medium sweet Riesling.)

4 lemons

4 sprigs of rosemary

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Peel the lemons carefully. You want to have the peel but none of the bitter white part. I think you could zest them, but I peeled them.

Combine in a pan and bring to a boil the sugar, water, lemon peel and three sprigs of rosemary. Boil gently for 2 minutes after the sugar has fully dissolved and then cool to room temperature.

Juice the peeled and now naked lemons.

After the sugar mixture has cooled, strain it into a pitcher or sun tea type container. Pour in the wine and the lemon juice. Stir and add 3 cups of ice (less if the ice is crushed.) Add in sliced lemons and the remaining sprig of rosemary.

Serve with or without ice in the glasses.

This also works with half lemons and half limes... (just saying!) It keeps for about three days in the fridge!

I do not advise drinking it before you go to graduation parties or weddings or dinner parties. It packs a punch. I tried to find the original recipe on line but with no success. I did make changes to the original and I think if you use a sweeter wine than what I picked, you might not want all the sugar syrup. I would say this is a "to taste call", add some syrup, taste and then adjust. You can always add more, you cannot take too much back out.

Happy Sipping! If you have a favorite summer adult beverage recipe, I am ALL ears, send it my way!