Other Refreshing Cocktails
Fruity and made with ingredients you probably have on hand, the Alabama Slammer is a classic. The ultimate refreshing cocktail, this Margarita recipe is truly perfect. This White Wine Spritzer is light and crisp, perfect for when the warm weather hits.
If you try this homemade vodka lemonade recipe or any of my other recipes, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I love hearing from you! You will see in the variations listed at the bottom of the post my vacation for adding some fresh basil to this recipe and I just couldn’t recommend that enough!
Vodka: See below for my vodka recommendations. Lemons: Using freshly squeezed lemon juice to make homemade lemonade is what truly sets this recipe apart. See below for how to get the most juice from your lemons. Sugar: This recipe calls for a full cup of sugar. I would not suggest that you cut back on the sugar. Lemons are incredibly acidic and tart, so we want to balance the acid with a little sugar so it isn’t overwhelming.
Heat the water and sugar. Bring them to a simmer in a saucepan while stirring often until the sugar is dissolved. We are making a simple syrup. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate. Add the lemon juice. Add the lemon juice and three cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir. Build the cocktail. You can either add the vodka to the pitcher of lemonade and serve, or add it to individual glasses of lemonade if you want to lemonade to be for both kids and adults.
One of my favorite secrets is that the ultimate budget friendly vodka is the Kirkland brand from Costco. Rumor has it that it is actually unlabeled high end vodka that is being sold in bulk. It often wins in blind taste tests, and is so smooth it is perfect for this cocktail and many others. You can add the vodka to the lemonade right away for a pitcher of vodka lemonade, or keep it separate, adding it to individual glasses which allows the lemonade to be enjoyed by kids and non-drinkers as well.
