Watermelon Lemonade

This week's Project Pastry Queen challenge is Watermelon Lemonade, chosen by Ashley of Delish who has the recipe within her blog). With the crazy heat we've been experiencing here in Chicagoland this summer, this recipe was such a great choice! It's refreshing to say the least and the mere presentation is beautiful and colorful!...


Imagine cooling down with a nice, cold glass of classic lemonade in the middle of a lazy summer day. It's a great thought, right? Now throw in a subtle hint of lime, fresh slices of lemon, lime and orange and finally, crisp cubes of watermelon. Mmmm... it's truly summer in a glass! This is one lemonade recipe I know I'll enjoy for summers to come. Even better is giving this recipe a try and adding some spirits (such as tequila, vodka or gin) for an extra punch of fun.

Thanks to Ashley for selecting this week's PPQ baking challenge. Hopefully others who tried this recipe enjoyed it as much as we did. Please check out Ashley's blog for the detailed recipe and be sure to take a peek at fellow PPQer's to see how their recipe came out!

Updated 3/25/2012: Here is the recipe since so many folks have emailed me requesting it be posted here:

Watermelon Lemonade
Yields: 12 servings

Sugar Syrup:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar

Lemonade:
2 cups water
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
4 cups ice cubes
2 cups diced watermelon
Mixed diced fruit of your choice (such as apples, pears or strawberries)
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds

To make sugar syrup: Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and boil for 10 minutes. If you are planning to make the lemonade immediately, place 2 cups of the sugar water in the freezer or refrigerator while you do the rest of the prep. (The recipe makes about 2 cups syrup. When stored in a tightly sealed glass jar, sugar syrup keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator).

To make the lemonade: Mix 2 cups of sugar syrup, watermelon, lemon juice, and lime juice in a big bowl or pitcher. Add the ice cubes, diced watermelon and other fruit. Add the orange, lemon, and lime rounds. Stir well and chill until icy cold.

Source: The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather