Watermelon Basil Lemonade

By Kaitlyn Nystul of One Good Thing by Jillee

I recently tried a store-bought watermelon lemonade that was absolutely delicious! But it was chock full of sugar, and probably not a lot of actual watermelon juice. So I decided to try my hand at a homemade version made in my blender and sweetened with honey. I added fresh basil for an extra punch of flavor. I love the way it turned out! It was so quick and easy to juice the watermelon and lemons in my Blendtec. This lemonade is definitely the perfect, refreshing drink for a hot summer day!

Basil Lemonade

Watermelon Basil Lemonade

Ingredients

1½ cups honey

4 cups water, divided

2 big handfuls of basil

½ a large watermelon

3 large lemons, peeled and halved

Instructions

Start by making honey simple syrup. Put your honey and 1 ½ cups water into a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Then add the basil. Heat the pan on medium until it the liquid just starts to boil. Immediately remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Next, cut your watermelon into chunks and add to your Wildside+ jar and secure lid. Select Whole Juice, or blend on a Medium to Medium-High speed for 50-60 seconds. Pour the juice through a strainer. Depending on how juicy your watermelon is, the amount of liquid you end up with may vary. You’ll want to use 6 cups of juice for this recipe. Set your juice aside.
Next, add remaining 2 ½ cups water and lemons to to your Wildside+ jar and secure lid. Select Whole Juice, or blend on a Medium to Medium-High speed for 50-60 seconds. Again, pour the juice through a strainer. Just like with the watermelon, the size and juiciness of your lemons will affect how much liquid you end up with. You’ll want 3 ½ - 4 cups of juice. Combine your lemon and watermelon juice.
Once your simple syrup is completely cool remove the basil leaves. Then add your syrup to the juice and mix well. Serve on ice with lemon slices as garnish.

Makes 11 cups of lemonade. Basil Lemonade