One Last Taste of Summer | Beet Lemonade

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

Hi friends! As I mentioned, I bought a juicer! Finally. After months of humming and hawing, and lots of helpful advice from friends and fellow bloggers, I bit the bullet and went for it. And I’m in love.

For reals. I can’t get enough juice! I have to admit, I was a bit worried at first. For one thing, up until this month, there wasn’t a single fresh juice bar around these parts. So going out and buying a fresh kale, cucumber, and apple juice to test the waters was not an option. However, I was looking for a way to get more fruits, and more specifically, vegetables into my diet. And crap! You can squeeze a lot of vegetables into a glass of juice!

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

After much deliberation, I bought this juicer from Amazon. It fit my budget and had good reviews. I’ve been very happy with it so far. Definitely a great juicer to start with. Green juices are my favorite – it’s amazing how much an apple can sweeten things up! Plus, when something is this green, I feel like I’m healthier just looking at it!

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

With Fall knockin’ at the door (Hip hip hooray! Boots! Scarves! Sweaters! Pumpkin everything!), I am trying to find ways to enjoy these last days of Summer. It’s been gorgeous here with hot temperatures that practically demand a refreshing beverage. I would drink beer all the live-a-long day, but unfortunately…well, you know. The solution? A healthy cocktail with fresh juice. Yep, I’m totally putting beets in your lemonade. Let’s do it!

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe   Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

Lemon juice gets a little sweetness kick from beet juice and honey syrup, and gin brings some fun to the party. Gin kinda has a reputation for that, doesn’t it? This lil’ cocktail is pretty tasty, folks. So why not juice up a little health, add a shot of booze, and call it even? Now that’s some Summer winning!

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

Beet Lemonade

This drink was inspired by an article I read in a local food magazine. The original recipe used a roasted beet puree in place of the fresh beet juice. If you’d like to make beet lemonade to serve a crowd, simply multiply the amounts listed below by the number of people you wish to serve and add to a pitcher of ice.

2 ounces fresh beet juice

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

1 ounce honey syrup*

2 ounces gin

Sparkling water (optional)

*To make the honey syrup, combine equal parts honey and boiling water, and allow to cool. (For example: for one ounce, combine 1 TBSP. honey and 1 TBSP. boiling water). Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over ice. Feel free to add more honey syrup if the lemonade is too tart for your liking. As the end result is rather…beety – adding sparkling water will cut the intensity a bit, if needed. Enjoy!

Beet Lemonade | Once Upon a Recipe

How are you spending the last days of Summer?

Comments

  1. I like your style of healthy juice…gin for the win! and that color is so good!

  2. So I think this would be so delightful without the gin…. At least for the next three months. You better believe once our little guy gets here I will be adding the gin back into this drink. Also, I need a juicer, thanks for the recommendation.

    • Oh yes, it would still be delicious without the gin – I should have added that for my pregnant/non-drinking friends! But please do try it with gin once that babe is fully baked, mmk? 😉

  3. Eeeeewwwwwwwww. Sorry. I mean, I love beets, but in salads… But it’s pretty! And I like the gin and lemonade parts!

    • But Mimi, have you ever tried beet juice? The lemon juice and gin really pair well with the beet juice and make the flavor a bit less beety. However, I can understand that it’s not for everyone!

      • No, I haven’t. And I must. I really love beets. I promise you I’ll try it. I really must get a juicer soon as well. I used to have an old fashioned kind a million years ago that took two days to clean so I tossed it!!!

  4. This sounds incredible!!

  5. A healthy cocktail? Count me in.

  6. What a fabulous idea! Love the addition of Tanq – you’ve just revolutionised healthy homemade juices… 😉

  7. yesssss. I freaking love beets, lemonade, and gin. And here you are mixing them all together into one big party glass. Please deliver one of these to me ASAP. I’ll trade you a pitcher for some jam

  8. Um, I think with how many races you run and how many veggies you seem to be eating already, you are only like x100 healthier than me!! And this new stage of juicing has just been the cherry on top. I think it’s cool you got your own juicer – it is so pricey to buy them anyway, especially here in Paris (where one juice can cost 13 euros… yeah, no thanks. I’ll take my 50 cent croissant).

  9. This looks so yummy, healthy and is a beautiful color!

  10. I am soooo happy you got a juicer! This recipe sounds DELICIOUS! I bet you’re going to have some great recipes on here which I’ll be trying out!

  11. How interesting! I would never have thought to try this combination. Personally I am spending the last days of summer hoping they will hurry up and pass. I know it’s terrible but I love the fall so much I just want it (and the cooler weather) to be here already.

    • You know, I’m kind of with you on that. However, we had a bit of a crummy summer here, so I’m trying to enjoy the hot weather that we are finally getting! Fall is my favorite!

  12. Oh that must be really yummy! Have to try that!

Trackbacks

  1. […] love for juicing a couple of times now, and I’ve shared a fresh juice cocktail once before (beet lemonade, anyone?). BUT. This one is my new favorite. I started by making a fresh citrus juice, which was […]

  2. […] lemonade recipes? I found these two and they look amazing! I’ll definitely give them a try: Beet Lemonade with Gin and Beet Lemonade and Green […]

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