Raspberry Lemonade

Here's another refreshing Summer drink that can be made ahead of time and can be served any time you have a craving for something cold and sweet. I was looking for a recipe to use up some raspberries I had in the fridge and found this Fresh Raspberry Syrup Soda recipe @ Savvy Eat. 

I made the syrup as per the recipe, but when I made the soda with just the syrup it tasted too sweet and one dimensional. Then  I added some lemon juice and voila it was instant hit with everyone.

Adjust the quantity of sugar as per taste and the sweetness of the raspberries. Don't worry about those slightly mushy and not so fresh looking ones, just throw everything in -- after cooking you can't even tell :-) Raspberries have very short shelf life, so once they start losing their freshness this is a good way to use them up. I had this syrup in my fridge for about a month and it still tasted good.

Ingredients:

For Raspberry Syrup:

Raspberries - 2cups

Sugar - 1½cups
Water - 1½cups

For the Lemonade: (for 1 Serving)
Raspberry Syrup - 3tbsp
Club Soda - ¾cup
Lemon juice - 2tbsp

Method:

• For the Raspberry Syrup: In a small sauce pan, combine sugar and water and cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Add the raspberries and cook for 10-15 minutes until the syrup is reduced. 
• Cool completely and strain the seeds through a fine mesh strainer and/ or cheese cloth. Store in a clean container in the fridge for up to a month.
• When ready to Serve: Combine 3tbsp syrup with ¾cup club soda and 2tbsp lemon juice. Serve over ice. Enjoy!!