Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams: Recipes - Watermelon Cucumber Boardwalk Lemonade

You're thirsty, you know it, you want it......

If you're as hooked on making delicious drinks for your summer hangings out on the back deck or patio, you might want to try your hands at what I am about to share, make it and thank me later.

I went to lunch recently at a restaurant near my job that pays the bills and with my lunch, ordered myself a big ol' glass full of lemonade that had these watermelon bits in it. It has become my favoritest (it's a word) non-alcohol drink ever....I mean ever. So, I decided to go home and try my hand at recreating this refreshing summer bev for myself, so's I can have it whenever I wants-ta!

Glass Pitcher, mason jars, lemons, paper straw

Boardwalk lemonade is just one of those delicious summer drinks you get when you go to Atlantic City or Coney Island....and if you've never been, just think of lemonade that's really sweet and delicious and lemony and ice cold......like how grandma makes it. There is no rhyme or reason to making this. If you can make lemonade, you can make this drink.

....and if you can't make lemonade, buy store bought mix or already made lemonade (I like Turkey Hill) and add pummeled, muddled or blended bits of watermelon and cucumber to it and you can up the ante on this refreshing drink. You don't even have to do all of that, you can cut up small bits of watermelon and sliced cucumber and float it in your drink (that's how they do it at the restaurant). Even just make yourself a regular old glass of plain lemonade, no one will think any less of you if you.....I certainly won't.

watermelon, cucumber, lemon, wooden cutting board

The kicker to this whole fancy blended lemonade deal is to make a simple syrup with 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar. You gotta make sure you mix the water and the syrup together in a pot, boil it until the sugar is reduced by half, allow it to cool and then squeeze in like 6-8 lemons....or more depending on your taste. That's basically your base for the lemonade.

In a glass pitcher, add about 3 cups of chopped up watermelon and 1 cup of chopped cucumbers and you can pummel, muddle or blend them together. No perfect way to do it....just go with it. I have used the back of a wooden spoon and a hand blender. Also, if you don't want bits of the fleshy bits floating in your drink, you can use a strainer to remove them. I am sure that leaving all of that in adds some nutritional value....maybe? I don't know honestly, but it totally is up to you.

Before I proceed, I failed to mention this earlier, but at the restaurant, I usually get my watermelon lemonade, it's served in a tall wide mouth Ball mason Jar (love these) and it makes everything so right in the world. So, I say, to truly enjoy this drink.....you need to sip it from one of these babies.....again, I will afford you time to thank me later. Have these at the ready and you will not be disappointed.

mason jar, wide mouth jar, canning jar, wood cutting board

Finally, Add your lemon base and then add chilled water to fill your container. If you want to add ice to the pitcher you can, but it may lesson the flavor.

wooden board, glass jar, glass pitcher, cucumbers

Throw in a few slices of lemon and cucumber for garnish and BAM!

pink lemonade, patio, glass table, paper straw, tall mason jar

That's all there really is to this thirst-quencher! I'd love to hear back from you if you make it and if you make it differently, like with peaches....blueberries.....raspberries....yum!