This Rhubarb Lemonade brings a unique sweet and tart twist to the refreshing summer classic drink.
What To Do With Too Much Rhubarb?
What To Do With Too Much Rhubarb?Tim’s mom’s rhubarb plants are still kicking out harvest like there’s no tomorrow. Which means it’s time to get a little creative with these ruby stalks.
This summer, we’ve been big on refreshing drinks, and a rhubarb lemonade seemed like a fitting experiment.
I would venture that many of you are familiar with rhubarb. It’s a perennial that grows quite well in most of the Midwestern US. The stalks are similar to celery in texture, but have a bright, tart flavor.
Growing up, I remember by mom putting sugar or salt on the stalks, and we’d just sit around munching and crunching.
Our Rhubarb Lemonade Recipe
Traditionally, rhubarb is paired with sweet summer strawberries in pies and other fruit desserts.
But, we’ve taken a different route here to accent the plant’s tartness with lemon juice.
We added just enough sugar to take the edge off the tartness, but you could add more if you prefer a sweeter lemonade.
And, rhubarb makes for a fun, natural way to whip up a batch of pink lemonade!
More Lemonade!
If you’re looking for another fun and unique twist on lemonade, check out Limonana, a Middle Eastern mint lemonade that is the perfect, refreshing way to use your summer mint!
Rhubarb Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 c rhubarb, cleaned and chopped
- 1 c sugar (more as desired)
- 3 lemons, zested and juiced
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until the rhubarb is soft (20-30 min).
- Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to remove as much juice from the rhubarb pulp as you can.
- Add 2 cups of water to the rhubarb syrup. (Taste the lemonade to be sure you like the tartness and sweetness.)
- Chill the lemonade for at least 1 hour and serve over ice.
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We’ve updated our pictures since we first made it, but we’ve left the original images here as a fun throwback and shout out to how far we’ve come. Enjoy!
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Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Laura Dembowski (@piesandplots)
Thursday 8th of August 2013
Rhubarb is such a great summer treat! This is such a unique way to use it! Sounds very refreshing.
Christine Pittman (@CookTheStory)
Monday 5th of August 2013
I haven't had fresh rhubarb in years. I just realized how much I miss it. This sounds so refreshing.