sparkling pink lemonade
Pink is my current aesthetic, if you can’t tell.
This year I am digging pink everything. Sometimes I latch onto color schemes and want to incorporate them into every facet of my existence: food, fashion, decor, everything. As a rule, I ignore Valentine’s Day completely, but I dunno what’s going on with me in 2025. Maybe I’m cherishing any measure of joy and goodness I can find, and the adorable kitchen and dining selections from Target just sent me into full-on girly girl mode.
Not complaining. Seeing as I’m typically anti-girl in my personality (not anti-women. Female power forever), a little incorporation here and there will only serve to grow my character.
In the case of my Sparkling Pink Lemonade, we’ve an utterly simple, gorgeous drink that’ll certainly become a springtime staple if not beforehand, for those of you yearning for new blooms and warmer temps. Homemade raspberry syrup colors and flavors this fresh, light sip that’s boozed up with a bottle of sparkling prosecco or wine. An alcoholic homage to Olive Garden’s ridiculous raspberry lemonade.
Seriously, I drank that shit like water way back in the day, and sometimes now their magical elixir creeps into my dreams, both waking and unconscious. Mmm.
Razzmatazz
If you recall, this raspberry syrup also features in my Raspberry Tequila Sour. Another odd thing for me to dig as a muse – I’m not the biggest raspberry fiend, but the little nubby berry is tickling my fancy nowadays.
To make the syrup, simmer down sugar and water until dissolved, then stir in some smashed raspberries and mint leaves. Let the mix steep 5-10 minutes until a glorious pale magenta color forms. Strain out the solids. You will use all of the syrup in this drink.
1 cup of fresh lemon juice sounds like a lot of squeezing. And it is. I recommend picking up an inexpensive lemon juicer for the job – makes this shit way less tedious. The flavor is so much better than from any storebought crap, so I promise you the effort is worthwhile. You’ll need about 8-10 lemons.
Mix up the juice with some water and the batch of raspberry syrup. Pour in a whole bottle of prosecco, or sparkling wine, and be mesmerized momentarily by the elevators of bubbles dancing about the pitcher.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, or up to 3 days. I recommend omitting any cute embellishments, like fresh raspberries or lemons, until just before serving. Lemon rind will render the drink far more bitter than you want it to be.
Divvy up your lemonade portions into cute glasses and garnish with berries, mint, basil, and a lemon wheel, as you please. Enjoy some porch-sipping, or Super Bowl sipping, or as an apres-dinner drink for Galentine’s or Valentine’s Day. Highly recommend with a little cheese plate or a snacketizer, like the crostini I plan to share soon.
Enjoy your weekend, fellas!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Pitchers in the bullpen:
Pitcher-Style Basil Vodka Greyhound
Big Batch Honey Tequila Lemonade
sparkling pink lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8-10 lemons)
- 4-5 cups water
- 1 bottle prosecco or sparkling rose
- 1 batch raspberry syrup (recipe below)
- fresh raspberries, mint or basil leaves, and lemon wheels, to serve
raspberry syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Make the raspberry syrup. Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup of water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 3-4 minutes. Move the pan off the heat and add the raspberries and mint leaves, lightly mashing with a fork or cocktail muddler. Steep 5-10 minutes. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the syrup into a jar or bottle.
- In a large pitcher, stir the syrup with the lemon juice and water. Pour in the prosecco/sparkling wine and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to overnight. Serve chilled in cute glasses with fresh raspberries, basil or mint leaves, and a lemon wheel or two.
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