Spiked Lemonade

Spicy lemonade is the best sweet and sour summer drink! Beat the heat with this fresh, alcoholic homemade lemonade.

Here’s the perfect way to beat the summer heat: meet up Spicy lemonade! This zesty cocktail blends fresh homemade lemonade with vodka for a tangy, sweet sip. The icing on the cake? Limoncello! This lemon liqueur takes over the drink when you have it on hand. It almost tastes like slurping on lemon head candies! It adds such flavor that you might want to grab a bottle, too. How to prepare this citrusy summer drink.

What’s in Fortified Lemonade?

You can make fortified lemonade with many different types of alcohol. The most popular spirits to mix with lemonade are gin, vodka, and bourbon. This recipe uses the classic vodka but adds some intrigue with a special ingredient. If you don’t have one handy, go straight to the vodka!

Making lemonade at home is key to this recipe, although of course you can use store-bought lemonade as a shortcut. We recommend the homemade one as it adds tremendous flavor to this lemony drink. There are two variations: pitcher style and glass.

Homemade Lemonade: Pitcher or glass

This fortified lemonade is best when you make it with fresh lemonade! All you need are lemons, sugar and water to make this recipe and it’s ready in no time. You can make a full pitcher of 8-9 cups, which is enough for 16 servings. Or if you prefer, make an individual portion in the jar: the method is the same! Here’s what to do:

• Squeeze the lemons. This is the longest part of the process! It’s quick with a juicer.
• Mix sugar with lukewarm water. Stop making plain syrup on the stovetop. Just mix sugar and lukewarm water.
• Add cold water and lemon juice. like that ! See our Homemade Lemonade Recipe for pitcher and by the glass amounts.

What is limoncello?

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur: the second most popular liqueur in Italy after Campari. It has a very strong flavor and tastes like biting into a real lemon, although it’s sweeter than sour. You can get it anywhere in Italy; Alex and I noticed this especially after a stay on the Amalfi Coast. It’s become very popular in the United States, so you should be able to find it easily at your local liquor store.

In Italy it is popular to drink a glass of limoncello after a meal. Honestly, it’s so strong that I would normally pass it on. But mixed with fortified lemonade, it’s absolutely brilliant!

Top up the infused lemonade with bubbles if desired!

Once you’ve assembled a glass of infused lemonade, you can either drink it straight or top it up with fizz! Here’s what we recommend:

• Fill it up with sparkling water. Sparkling water or lemonade adds sparkle and shine to this lemon cocktail.
• What to avoid: You can also add tonic water, but tonic water contains sugar, so it can be too sweet. We don’t recommend using anything like ginger ale as it contains sugar and would compete too much with lemon flavors.

Variations on Fortified Lemonade

Would you like to get off the beaten path? Here are some other ideas for making fortified lemonade:

When should fortified lemonade be served?

This tangy lemonade is tangy and refreshing: perfect for summer and as a party drink! Try as: