Scarlett Lemonade Recipe

Make raspberry syrup

Combine raspberries, 0.25 cups water, and 0.5 cups sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring and crushing berries with the back of a spoon, and simmer 6–8 minutes until the berries break down and the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes, then strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds and solids. Chill syrup in the refrigerator while you prepare the lemonade base (or use cooled syrup).

Make lemon simple

In a heatproof measuring cup or small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 0.25 cups hot water. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves to make a quick simple syrup.

In a large pitcher, combine 1 cup fresh lemon juice and the prepared simple syrup. Add 3 cups cold water and stir to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness or dilution: add up to 0.5 cup more water if too tart, or 1–2 teaspoons sugar dissolved into a bit of warm water if needed. Chill the lemonade if not serving immediately.

If you prefer a lightly fizzy Scarlett Lemonade, replace up to 1 cup of the cold water with 1 cup sparkling water and add it just before serving to preserve fizz.

Fill 6 tall glasses with about 1/3 cup ice each (or distribute 2 cups ice among the glasses). Pour about 0.5 cup (120 ml) of the prepared lemonade into each glass, leaving room for syrup and garnish.

Spoon 1–2 tablespoons of the chilled raspberry syrup into each glass over the back of a spoon so it sinks and creates a scarlet gradient. For a swirled effect, gently stir once or twice.

Top each glass with a splash (about 2 tablespoons) of sparkling water if using. Garnish with a lemon slice, 2 fresh raspberries, and 2 mint leaves per glass.

Serve immediately with a straw so guests can stir the scarlet syrup into the lemonade as they like.