Refreshing Peach Lemonade Drink (Printable)
Sweet peaches meet zesty lemonade in this refreshing summer beverage ready in 20 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit Base
01 - 3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
02 - ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3–4 lemons)
03 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Sweetener
04 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar (or agave syrup for vegan option)
05 - ½ cup water
→ To Serve
06 - 3 cups cold water
07 - Ice cubes, as needed
08 - Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
09 - Peach slices and lemon wheels, for garnish (optional)
# How To Make:
01 - In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ½ cup of water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
02 - Add the sliced peaches, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and lemon zest to a blender. Purée on high until completely smooth and no chunks remain.
03 - Pour the peach purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher, pressing with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp or reserve for another use.
04 - Add the cooled simple syrup and 3 cups of cold water to the pitcher. Stir thoroughly until well combined.
05 - Taste the lemonade and adjust sweetness or tartness by adding more sugar or lemon juice as desired.
06 - Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, or pour immediately over ice-filled glasses. Garnish each glass with fresh mint leaves, peach slices, and lemon wheels.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Ripe peaches do all the heavy lifting here so you barely need any added sugar to make it taste incredible.
- Ten minutes of actual work and you have a pitcher of something that disappears faster than anything else at a barbecue.
02 -
- If you skip straining the purée the texture gets cloudy and pulpy which some people love but others find distracting.
- Letting the syrup cool completely before mixing prevents the lemon juice from cooking and losing its fresh bite.
03 -
- Peaches that yield slightly when pressed and smell sweet near the stem will give you the most flavorful juice.
- A pinch of salt in the syrup rounds out the sweetness and makes the peach flavor pop.