I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are, but if it is anything like here, you are probably pretty confused. The calendar says it is winter, but the weather says summer.

When my husband suggested that we have a picnic to enjoy the weather, I was inspired to create this Sparkling Cranberry Lemonade. I wanted to combine the sweet taste of summer (lemonade) with the sharp coolness of winter (cranberries).

I had some cranberries I had frozen from when they were in season, so I decided to make a homemade cranberry juice. It is really easy to do:

Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Then pour in a 12 ounce bag or fresh or frozen whole cranberries. Bring back to a boil, then simmer 15-20 minutes until most of the berries have popped open and the liquid is red.

Strain, let cool, and you have your own homemade cranberry juice. This makes about 3 cups. I made this version unsweetened because of how I would be using it. For a sweetened version, you can add sugar into the juice after straining and boil until dissolved.

You can buy cranberry juice from the store if you don’t have any fresh or frozen cranberries available. However, you will need freshly squeezed lemon juice. I think that is crucial for the best lemonade flavor.

Classic lemonade is a basic mix of fresh lemon juice, water, and simple syrup. 

Simple syrup is always equal parts water and sugar. If you think you’ll want more than 1 cup for the lemonade, double the amount listed below and refrigerate any leftover.

The addition of homemade or store-bought cranberry juice and seltzer water/club soda gives us our Sparkling Cranberry Lemonade. 

For best flavor, add the seltzer water/club soda to individual glasses as you are serving. Otherwise, it will be flat if you add it to the whole pitcher and you are not drinking it all soon after.

For extra flavor, zest some of the lemons before juicing and mix with granulated sugar to rim the glasses before serving.

Use this image to save this refreshing sparkling lemonade recipe to Pinterest:

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled as needed for large crowds.