Despite my love for entertaining and seriously over thinking pretty much everything, I love a good casual holiday celebration as much as anyone.  Maybe more.  So to that end, here is a simple yet festive beverage fit for any Fourth of July fête.  A nice glass of lemonade spruced up with a bit of sparkling water and some berry ice cubes.  No need to go to great lengths forcing foods that fit a red, white and blue color scheme or cutting out star-shaped everything with a cookie cutter.  (And for anyone doubting how low maintenance this really is, it takes about 10 minutes of actual effort.)

For a spirited version, feel free to experiment with mixing in some vodka in place of a portion of the sparkling water.  I haven’t tried it yet myself but I most certainly will, and soon.  I hope you all have a fun and safe Fourth!

  • Yield 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the ice cubes: 

  • Assorted fresh berries (blueberries, strawberry slices, raspberries)
  • Water

For the lemonade: 

  • 1½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12-14 lemons)
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2-3 cups sparkling water, chilled

Directions

  • 01

    Add a few fresh berries to each well of an ice cube tray.  Fill the wells with water and freeze until solid.

  • 02

    In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat.  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved completely.  Transfer to a large liquid measuring cup, cover and chill until ready to serve.

  • 03

    To serve, place a few of the berry ice cubes in each serving glass.  Add 2 cups of the sparkling water to the chilled lemon syrup and stir gently.  Add more sparkling water to taste if needed.  Pour the mixture into the glasses and serve immediately.

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