Grilled Lemonade
If you ask me, just the name of this drink sounds intriguing! When I told a friend about what my next video/blog post was about, he said, “But won’t grilling lemonade put out the flames?” Haha, so funny, Mr. B! But truthfully, grilled lemonade is a drink that actually exists, at least until recently.
For this reason, there are only a small handful of recipes for grilled lemonade floating around the internet. And like countless other recipes I’ve experimented with, I felt I needed to play with ways to make it better than the ones already out there.
This included the removal of the lemon rind to steep in the simple syrup. Other recipes don’t call for this step, but it’s a common practice when making traditional lemonade. Usually, a syrup is made with the rinds infusing all their flavor. It’s amazing how much flavor is packed in citrus rind, and too often we discard this oil-rich covering that can only make recipes better. It’s important to leave as much of the white pith intact on the lemon as possible. Not only can the pith make your lemonade bitter, it will act as a protective casing while the lemons are being grilled.
While most recipes only suggest grilling the lemons for five minutes, I found this wasn’t long enough. When I first followed this recommendation, my lemonade lacked that sweet amber hue that set my finished result apart from regular lemonade. Not only did I grill them for ten minutes on medium high, I closed the BBQ lid so I’d be guaranteed a rich caramelized surface. Plus, I triple dipped the lemons in sugar. In my opinion, you can’t have too much sugar packed into lemon halves when grilling them for lemonade. The aim is to get an end result that more closely resembles iced tea, not lemonade.
Finally, you can infuse this drink with herbs of your choice if you’re looking for another layer of flavor. The most common herb for grilled lemonade seems to be rosemary. The herbs are infused in the simple syrup, and basil, mint, thyme or literally and herb you’re brave to experiment with will work. I went with mint, but you can leave the herbs out altogether if you’re so inclined. The next time I make this, I think I will.
With summer here to stay for a while and the heat waves ready to sweep through with a vengeance, I highly recommend trying this surfacing new beverage. It puts a unique twist on a drink much enjoyed by most people, enhancing it with a sweet charred, caramel flavor. Try it for your next BBQ and you might be setting fire (did I say that?) to a new trend!
Ingredients
- 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 4 cups water, divided
- 2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)
- Fresh herbs of your choice (optional), to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450 degrees F.
- Wash lemons and remove rinds, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible.
- Place rinds into a saucepan with 2 cups of the water, 1/4 cup of the sugar and fresh herbs (if using).
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Cut peeled lemons in half and dip generously into the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Repeat 2 or 3 times until lemons are thickly sugared.
- Grill lemons, sugar side down, for 10 minutes until well caramelized.
- Remove from grill and allow to cool. Squeeze out all the juice into a bowl, scraping as much of the caramelized bits as possible.
- Add juice to syrup mixture, then strain all of this liquid into a large pitcher. Add honey and remaining 2 cups water. Stir well.
- Chill and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.