The Secret Ingredient for the Best-Ever Pink Lemonade
Nothing hits the spot better on a hot summer day than a refreshing cup of pink lemonade. Lemonade's louder, more-fun-to-hang-out-with cousin has been a seasonal staple for years. Its bright pink hue and tangy lemon flavor make it the perfect hot-weather drink on its own, and it also makes a fun cocktail mixer.
Pink lemonade generally gets its color from food dye, meaning the drink really just tastes a lot like regular old lemonade. If you'd like to make the pastel drink at home and skip the food coloring, there's an easy way to do that. Just add cranberry juice.
Related: The Chef-Approved Way to Make the Best-Ever Strawberry Lemonade
How to Make the Best-Ever Pink Lemonade
Pink lemonade, and lemonade in general, are very easy to whip up in a pinch. You can start with our classic lemonade recipe, which calls for the juice of three large lemons, 1 cup of sugar and 5 cups of water. Add the lemon juice and sugar to a pitcher and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the water and stir again. Now add a splash of cranberry juice. Start with about 1/4 cup (or less) and give it a taste. If it's too tart, add more sugar. If it's too sweet, add more lemon juice. You can also add more cranberry juice if the color is lighter than you'd like. Serve over ice with lemons for garnish.
Related: The Midwestern Trick for the Fastest & Best-Ever Homemade Lemonade
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Tips for Making Pink Lemonade
Fortunately, lemonade recipes are pretty difficult to mess up. Here are some tips to help you get it right.
Taste, taste, taste—and then adjust. If the batch is too sweet, simply add more lemon juice. If it’s too tart, add a little more sugar or sweetener. It’s really as simple as it gets.
Make it simple. If you have issues with the sugar not dissolving in your mixture you can make a simple syrup. As the name suggests, it's simple to make. Just put equal parts sugar and water in a pan, heat the mixture over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Let it cool before adding to your lemonade. Simple syrup also keeps well in the fridge, so you can make a big batch so it's handy for sweetening lemonade or iced tea.
Scale it up. If you plan on hosting guests in your home, you can make a batch up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until the big day. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving if the sugar looks like it has begun to separate while sitting in the fridge.
Make a swap. If cranberry juice isn't your thing, try using strawberry juice or raspberry juice instead. We also saw that some online creators swear by a splash of beet juice in their lemonade to turn it a vibrant pink color. They say that the drink won't taste like beets, but you will have a bottle of beet juice to use up, so keep that in mind if you go in this direction.
Spike it. If you really want to step the summer fun up a notch, mix a fresh batch with your favorite rum, tequila, gin or vodka to really get the party started.
