In mint condition: pineapple lemonade

Pineapple mint lemonade by day, pineapple mint marg by night.

Summer is well on it’s way over in Texas with the forecast being 100 degrees tomorrow so the only thing I felt like making today was a big pitcher of ice cold pineapple mint lemonade that doubles as a base for pineapple mint margaritas! <3

Truth be told here, I actually ordered thai basil on Instacart but they delivered me mint so I took it as a sign from the universe that I should be using mint instead and I really love the final result! I thought to myself, you know what, mint is much more accessible anyway and cooling for summer so it’s actually a blessing in disguise. There was only one store that had thai basil on Instacart but turns out they didn’t even have it either so… :/ oh well! A pineapple thai basil lemonade does sound good though, so if it is accessible to you, go ahead and sub the mint for thai basil, or do a mix of both - mint and thai basil.

I use a blender for my lemonades and drinks in general. I just make a big batch that lasts a couple of days. I like to think of these fun little drinks as ‘dilly dally drinks’ - there’s no sole purpose for them other than pure enjoyment and joy. Just as I imagine my perfect Saturday to be dilly dallying through thrift stores with an iced drink in hand, my ‘dilly dally drinks’ bring me just as much happiness.

All we do is make a simple sugar syrup (sugar + water), squeeze some lemons (about 5 big ones) and blend it with ripe pineapple and fresh mint. Voila! Summer on the rocks. Add a shot of mezcal for a smokey margarita and garnish with a wedge of pineapple and a sprig of mint.

Pineapple mint lemonade

Makes about 1 L.

Prep time: 15 mins.

Cook time: 10 mins.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 5-6 big lemons

1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, sweet & ripe

1 cup fresh mint, loosely packed

optional: sparkling water to thin out & add sparkle

Method:

Make the sugar syrup: add sugar and water to a small pot and bring to medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, give it a stir and let it simmer for about 5 mins, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid has reduced by half. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Blend: to a high-speed blender, add all ingredients: sugar syrup, lemon juice, pineapple chunks and fresh mint. Blend on high for 1-2 mins, or until the mint has completely blended and the color is a smooth green. No need to strain, unless you would like to.

Serve over a tall glass with lots of ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

To turn it into a margarita: add 45-60ml of tequila to a cocktail shaker with ice, along with 60-120ml of pineapple mint lemonade. I like to think of it as 1 shot of tequila to 1-2 shots of juice, depending on how sweet I want it. Strain into a salt rimmed glass with ice, garnish with a pineapple wedge and a mint sprig. Enjoy!