National Lemonade Day!

It's National Lemonade Day! In honor of this and of the heat wave we are still experiencing in Southern California, I thought I'd cool off with my favorite beverage. I usually find that the lemonade available at restaurants is somehow too tart and too sweet at the same time. I don't even know how this is possible, but all I know is that most of the lemonades I've had when dining out tend to hurt my teeth, so I tend not to order it. One of the few exceptions is at Native Foods where I am hooked on their lavender lemonade!

Lemonade by the glass is so easy to make so whenever I feel like indulging, I just make it at home. The best part about this is you can experiment with different flavors and textures... yup, you read that correctly, textures. What do I mean by this? Well, I love my lemonade sparkling just as much as I love it flat. Today I am drinking a sparkling basil lemonade inspired by the one we used to serve at Cafe Flourish. Add as much lemon or sweetener as you like to your preferred taste. I keep mine nice and light. Also, if you have any mint, or berries, or anything else you think would make for a nice flavor, go ahead and muddle it in! And for another lemonade recipe, check out this blog post for Strawberry Rhubarb.

Sparkling Basil Lemonade

Ingredients
1/2 T agave, or preferred sweetener (or to taste)
1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (or to taste)
2 basil leaves
8oz sparkling water ice

Directions
Put everything except ice in your favorite glass. Stir well and muddle the basil a little with the back of your spoon. Add ice. Sit back, sip and enjoy!