Pink Lemonade is a light, sweet, tart, refreshing summer drink made with lemon juice, grenadine, and more! Refreshingly delicious while out by the pool or at a bbq or picnic!
Pink in color, this homemade pink lemonade is made from scratch with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and is easy to make! Pour yourself a glass, and sip this refreshing lemonade to beat the summer heat!
Having lived in Texas all my life, and living through summers with blistering triple digit heat, we rely on cold refreshing Beverages to help keep us cool, like this Lemonade recipe and Berry Basil Lemonade. So almost every week during the summer, we would be making a pitcher of lemonade to keep on hand.
Whether you are sipping this cold, refreshing lemonade at the pool, barbecue, or picnic, or just because you want to sip it while you read or watch TV, this recipe is easier than you think. So easy, that you can enjoy it any time.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious taste. It has a lightly sweet and tart flavor of lemons and grenadine.
- Cold and Refreshing. It is light, cold and refreshing on a hot day.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy. This recipe is super easy to make.
- Few Ingredients. It has only four ingredients.
- Pantry Ingredients. Most ingredients you likely already have on hand.
Questions And Answers
What Is Pink Lemonade
Pink Lemonade is a homemade beverage made with the juice of fresh lemons, water, and sugar, and an additional ingredient, such as strawberries or raspberries, or grenadine, or food coloring to give it that beautiful pink color.
How Pink Lemonade Was Invented
According to Smithsonian Magazine, like many great recipes, it started by accident.
Henry Allot, from Chicago, joined the circus and one day accidentally dropped some red-colored cinnamon candies, like Red Hots, into a batch of lemonade and continued to sell it, and people continued to buy it. Pink Lemonade was born.
While other, less appetizing stories exist, the above story is one of the most plausible ones.
How Is Pink Lemonade Different than Lemonade
Pink Lemonade is different than classic lemonade in that it is pink in color.
What Makes This Lemonade Pink
Various recipes of Pink Lemonade use fruit, such as raspberries or strawberries, or food coloring to give lemonade the pink color. In this recipe, we use Grenadine to give it the pink color.
What Flavor Is This Lemonade
All lemonade, including pink lemonade, will have the flavor of lemons in it. Pink Lemonade will also take on the flavor of the additional fruit or grenadine in addition to the lemons.
How To Make Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don’t have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.
- Fresh Lemons – specifically the lemon juice from freshly squeezed lemons.
- Water – fresh, cold, clean, clear water.
- Granulated Sugar – The kind you likely already have in your pantry.
- Grenadine – This cocktail mixer is made with fresh pomegranate juice that gives it the red color, and a simple syrup.
Directions
- Place half of the water into a medium-size saucepot. Add the sugar and whisk it together.
- Place over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. You know the sugar is dissolved when the mixture becomes clear again. Let it cool slightly on the countertop.
- To a large pitcher, pour in the lemon juice.
- Add in the sugar water.
- Pour in the remaining 2 cups water.
- Lastly pour in the grenadine.
- Stir to combine.
- Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill and pour over ice to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Pink Color. Grenadine is the secret ingredient to make this lemonade. Use more or less to make it more or less pink! Three (3) tablespoons were used as pictured in the photos.
- Sweetness. This is a deliciously sweet and tart lemonade. It is to my personal taste, which is a little on the sweeter side so if you do not like your lemonade as sweet, I suggest adding ¼ cup less sugar.
Recipe Variations
- Frozen Pink Lemonade. Freeze the lemonade from this recipe in a shallow baking dish, scraping with a fork every 2 hours, until frozen, 4 to 6 hours.
- Sparkling Pink Lemonade. Add club soda to the recipe.
Recipes That Use Lemonade As An Ingredient
If you think lemonade can be served only one way, think again! There are many other lemonade flavored recipes to both eat and drink as well.
- Pink Lemonade Cookies
- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
- Pink (Raspberry) Lemonade Frosting
- Pink Lemonade Punch AKA Princess Punch
- Pink Lemonade Popsicles
What To Serve With Lemonade
- Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps
- Pretzels or other salty snacks
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I Make This Recipe Ahead of Time
Yes. It is recommended that you make this recipe in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours to let it cool.
How Do I Store Leftover Lemonade
Store lemonade in a pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Lemonade?
Yes! By freezing lemonade, you can turn it into frozen lemonade or lemonade popsicles!
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Recipe
Pink Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups water divided
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 cups lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2-4 tablespoons grenadine
Instructions
- Place half of the water into a medium-size saucepot. Add the sugar and whisk it together. Place over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. You know the sugar is dissolved when the mixture becomes clear again. Let it cool slightly on the countertop.
- To a large pitcher, add the lemon juice, sugar water, the remaining 2 cups water, and grenadine. Stir to combine. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill and serve over ice.
Terri Steffes says
I love pink lemonade and haven’t tried using grenadine to get that fabulous color. Yum yum.
Michele says
Hi Terri,
Thanks for the nice comment.
Michele
Allyssa says
Super loved this! Perfect for our gatherings! Thanks a lot for sharing this pink lemonade recipe! We’ll surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Michele says
Hi Allyssa,
Thank you so much for the kind words.
Michele
Raquel says
Everyone loved this easy lemonade recipe – delicious!
Michele says
Hi Raquel,
I’m so glad everyone liked it. Thanks for letting us know.
Michele
Okay says
This was so delicious! I’m trying the basil next!
Michele says
Hi,
I’m glad you liked it! It is perfect for this time of year.
Michele