Watermelon Lemonade {The Perfect Summer Drink}

I love water.  It's about all I drink.  It's about all my kids drink.  I don't know if it's because I find it very refreshing or because that's all I ever saw my mom drink or because if I don't drink enough of it during the day I get a headache or because I'd rather get my calories from yummy delicious food.  (The last reason may have nailed it on the head.)  I don't want to use calories drinking when I could use them eating, but when I saw this Watermelon Lemonade, I had to try it!  And I loved it.  I love it as a summer drink.  My kids loved that I was giving them something besides water.  I think Colby's mouth may have fallen open a tad when he saw it on the table - shocked I was drinking something besides water.  

This Watermelon Lemonade is refreshing.  It's simple.  It's fresh.  It's light (maybe not in the sugar content).  It's easy.  There is no reason not to serve it this summer whether for an event or for your family or heck - just for yourself to enjoy day after day during a hot summer's week.  What a fun twist to lemonade.

Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients

6 cups watermelon, cubed and chilled (about 1/3 of a watermelon)

3 cups cold water

3/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice, chilled

1/2 cup sugar (more or less depending on taste)

Ice

*Mint, optional for serving

Directions

Add watermelon to a blender and pulse until it's well pureed.  Pour juice through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or pitcher.  I got about 3 1/2 cups watermelon juice after straining it.

In a large pitcher whisk together the cold water, lemon juice and sugar until all of the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in pureed watermelon.  Add ice.  If you don't want to add very much ice you may want to up your water amount from 3 cups to 3/12 or 4.  But if you add ice, the ice will melt quickly on a hot summer day and dilute the taste, so that's why I do 3 cups - to allow a little wiggle room for the ice to melt since I'm not a chugger when it comes to drinking.

*I love mint, but if you leave it in too long - mint is strong so just be aware of that.

Recipe Source: adapted from cooking classy.