By The heat was creeping back in the afternoons. I spent most days at the pool with Jada and neighborhood kids. We had a water balloon fight and I came home soaked and laughing, my hair frizzy from the water. Jada and I made up a silly game where we tried to dodge the balloons while singing our favorite songs.
Monday I made lemonade from scratch with real lemons and a little honey. I sold cups to the neighborhood kids and made eight dollars. Kayla helped me set up the stand and kept announcing the price in her loudest voice. Jamal rode by on his bike and bought one just to tease me about being a businesswoman.
On Thursday Daddy took us to the park for a picnic. I packed the food and made sure we had enough for everyone. He told me I was getting really good at taking care of people. That meant more than any grade I'd ever received.
Saturday MawMaw Shirley was having a good energy day. We sat on her porch more than we cooked and she told me stories about her own childhood summers. I listened hard and tried to picture her as a little girl running through the same kind of heat.
At night I wrote in my notebook while the fan blew on high. Thirteen was teaching me to enjoy the quiet moments between big dreams. The flood felt farther away with every week. I still had my round face and thick coiled hair, but I was starting to feel the strength growing underneath. I wasn't rushing the summer. I was letting it stretch out slow and warm.
That lemonade stand was one of my proudest moments this summer — eight whole dollars and Kayla hollering the prices like she was on a street corner. The batch I made was simple, just lemons and honey, and it was good. But when I think about what I’d make for the grown folks at a backyard gathering — Daddy, MawMaw Shirley on a good energy day, maybe the neighbors who always wave from their porches — I’d want something a little more special. This blackberry bourbon lemonade has that same fresh-squeezed heart, just dressed up a little, the way summer sometimes deserves to be.
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blackberries (plus more for garnish)
- 1/4 cup honey or simple syrup
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 6–8 lemons)
- 2 cups cold water
- 3/4 cup bourbon
- Ice, for serving
- Lemon slices and fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the blackberry syrup. Combine blackberries and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook for 4–5 minutes until the berries break down and the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the berries to extract all the juice. Let cool completely.
- Juice the lemons. Squeeze lemons until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Remove any seeds.
- Mix the lemonade base. In a large pitcher, stir together the lemon juice, cold water, and cooled blackberry syrup until well combined. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
- Add the bourbon. Pour in the bourbon and stir gently to combine.
- Serve. Fill glasses with ice, pour the blackberry bourbon lemonade over the top, and garnish with fresh blackberries, a lemon slice, and a sprig of mint.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 5mg