Rosemary Lemonade

This is one of my favorite times of year… The season that straddles spring and summer, when the days are long and warm and my lemon tree is bursting with bright yellow ornaments. These sunshiny days simply beg for the clink of ice cubes in a mason jar and the cold sip of a fresh…

Linda Ly

Written by Linda Ly

Rosemary lemonade
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This is one of my favorite times of year… The season that straddles spring and summer, when the days are long and warm and my lemon tree is bursting with bright yellow ornaments. These sunshiny days simply beg for the clink of ice cubes in a mason jar and the cold sip of a fresh homemade lemonade. Preferably outside. Preferably with condensation all over your table, and you don’t even care because you’re in a carefree summer lovin’ state of mind.

I prefer Eureka lemons over Meyer lemons since I like a more acidic lemonade — tart and tangy, just like the ones I used to drink growing up. (Conveniently, I happened to move into a house with a Eureka lemon tree in the backyard.)

When I want something a little different, I’ll sub some basil in place of the rosemary. And when I want to make a spritzer, I’ll make this delicious lemon-basil syrup to keep in the fridge for those carbonated cravings (as you might have guessed, you can turn that into a lemon-rosemary syrup too).

Let’s all raise a mason jar (or a tall glass, as long as it’s icy) and count down to the dog days of summer!

Rosemary Lemonade

Makes 2 liters

Ingredients

For the Syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 to 2 large sprigs rosemary

For the Lemonade
5 to 6 lemons
5 cups water
Lemon slices (optional, for garnish)
Rosemary sprigs (optional, for garnish)

Making Your Rosemary Lemonade

The core of any good homemade lemonade is the simple syrup. To make one, bring the water, sugar, and rosemary to a slow boil for several minutes in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let the rosemary steep.

Steep rosemary in simple syrup

Squeeze the juice out of 5 or 6 (more or less) lemons so you have about 1 cup of fresh juice. Eurekas will give your lemonade that traditional taste of sour lemons. Meyers will make it sweeter, so depending on your preference, you may want to add less syrup to the final concoction.

Fresh Eureka lemons
Eureka lemons
Freshly squeezed lemons
Freshly squeezed lemons

When your syrup has infused for at least half an hour, remove the rosemary sprigs, then stir the syrup and lemon juice together in a pitcher. Add water and mix well. Taste the lemonade and adjust as needed… more syrup for a sweeter flavor, or more water for a subtle tartness.

Fresh-squeezed rosemary lemonade

To serve, add ice, drop in a few slices of lemon and a few sprigs of rosemary, and enjoy on a sunny day while sitting in your garden!

Yield: 2 liters

Rosemary Lemonade

Fresh-squeezed rosemary lemonade

Tangy sweet refreshing goodness!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Syrup

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 to 2 large sprigs rosemary

For the Lemonade

  • 5 to 6 lemons
  • 5 cups water
  • Lemon slices (optional, for garnish)
  • Rosemary sprigs (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Make the syrup by bringing the water, sugar, and rosemary to a slow boil for several minutes in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let the rosemary steep.
  2. Squeeze the juice out of 5 or 6 (more or less) lemons so you have about 1 cup of fresh juice.
  3. When your syrup has been infused for at least half an hour, remove the rosemary sprigs, then stir the syrup and lemon juice together in a pitcher. Add water and mix well.
  4. Taste the lemonade and adjust as needed… more syrup for a sweeter flavor, or more water for a subtle tartness.

Notes

When choosing lemons, Eurekas will give your lemonade that traditional taste of sour lemons. Meyers will make it sweeter, so depending on your preference, you may want to add less syrup to the final concoction.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 3gSugar: 35gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Linda Ly
Category: Everyday Eats & Sweets
Linda Ly

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in Time, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The National Parks Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »

35 Comments

  2. I may have overdone it with the rosemary….. or maybe I have the wrong lemons (the grocery store clerk didn’t know what kind of lemons they were).

    Reply

    1. If you used Meyer lemons, the lemonade will be naturally sweeter and you can likely cut down on the simple syrup. (You’ll know a Meyer if you find one though, it’s a cross of lemon and orange.) But I can’t imagine 1-2 sprigs of rosemary dominating the flavor, unless you let it steep for a very long time.

      Reply

  4. This looks awesome! I hope you’ll come link up to our From the Farm blog hop this morning! Lisa/Fresh Eggs Daily

    Reply

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