Mint Lemonade

When Ethan and I got married (5 years ago- holy crap), we lived in an apartment in Azusa. The complex was pretty run-down and home to some pretty interesting people and their interesting activities. Like the ice cream man who sold “ice cream” at 10:00 at night. Right… Oh, and then there was the shooting right before we moved out. Anyways, we had a mint plant growing wild outside our front door. The thing was huge and the air smelled like gum every time you walked out the door.

This lemonade is a result of the Azusa mint plant. I found a recipe in the newspaper and tweaked it until it was just right. This lemonade is super refreshing. If you have a tendency to get heartburn after drinking lemonade, may I suggest a few Tums before drinking this. It can be a doozy.

The lemonade appears milky because it just came out of the blender.
It will gradually separate.

3-4 lemons juiced, about 1 cup of juice
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
Mint leaves

Pour juice, sugar and water into an airtight container. Shake until sugar is dissolved. Taste and add sugar or lemon as needed.

Fill blender ¼ full of ice and then top off with lemon mixture and 1-2 mint leaves (depending on how strong you want the mint flavor to be). Process until smooth. Serve immediately over ice.

Rookie's Notes: Whatever you do, do not add the mint leaves when you shake the sugar and lemon mixture. It breaks the mint down too much and you will have a drink that tastes like spearmint gum. Trust me, it isn't very good.