Now that the summer heat has arrived, cool things down with one of my favorite summer drinks, my cherry lemonade! It’s refreshing, easy to make, and non-alcoholic so the whole family can enjoy it! 
It’s no secret that I share quite a few cocktail recipes around these parts, but every good hostess knows she needs several top notch refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage recipes in her stash too!
This family friendly cherry lemonade recipe is my absolute favorite for these hot summer days and nights. I love to keep a pitcher made up to enjoy. If guests are coming over, I just add some pizzazz with fresh sliced lemons and a cherry on top. It’s the little touches, y’all!
What I love most about this lemonade recipe is layering the cherry and the lemonade so it looks all pretty! These layers remind me of a sunset. Add a few fruit garnishes and ta-da! You can certainly stir your cherry lemonade for a solid light reddish hue if you prefer. Either way, it’s totally delicious!
If you plan to try your hand at a variety of lemonade drink recipes this summer, here are a few kitchen staples and essentials that might help you out!
Lemonade Essentials
- Fresh Lemons – This one is an obvious one but fresh-squeezed lemons make all the difference in lemonade.
- Hand-Held Lemon Squeezer or Juicer
- Sugar
- Saucepan – This is great for making flavored syrups (like the cherry syrup in this cherry lemonade) or other varieties.
- Pitcher
- Wooden Stirring Spoons
- Cute Glasses & Straws
If you’re hosting friends or family for a summer party, check out these related party ideas!
Cherry Lemonade
Ingredients
For the Cherry Syrup:
- 3 cups sweet cherries pitted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Lemonade:
- 1 1/2 cups lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fine sugar
- 4 cups cold water
Instructions
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In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer cherries, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Once cherries are broken down and liquid is syrup-like, remove from heat. This is about 30 minutes.
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Strain cherry syrup and discard skins.
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Make lemonade by adding lemon juice, sugar, and cold water. Stir well.
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Pour cherry syrup into the bottom of each glass (about 1/4 cup) and finish with lemonade.
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Garnish with maraschino cherries and lemon slices.
Recipe Notes
You can also mix the cherry syrup with the lemonade in a pitcher instead of serving layered-style.
With cherries in season, I hope you’ll find time to whip up a batch of this cherry lemonade! For year-round cherry lemonade, you can use frozen cherries or pre-made cherry juice for a similar cherry lemonade drink. You can even try your hand at fruity lemonade popsicles for a twist!
Edenpassante says
July 4, 2016 at 8:04 pmSo fun! Love the layered ombre look!
Courtney says
July 7, 2016 at 8:42 amThanks Eden!
manju says
August 19, 2016 at 7:03 pmHi Courtney, I loved your recipe and have included it in a lemonade round up on BuzzFeed. Do take a look and show some love :) https://www.buzzfeed.com/manjumahadevan/21-incredibly-refreshing-lemonades-you-need-to-dri-1ykl9
Ary says
December 10, 2016 at 12:19 pmHow many cups does this make?
Tia gabel says
June 16, 2018 at 1:04 pmAround 7 and a half depending on how long you cook the syrup.
Maya M says
May 27, 2017 at 10:10 amBecause this is absolutelly yummy, it was featured here: http://www.dreamingofbutterflies.co/10-yummy-lemonade-recipes-hydrated-summer/