Mixed Drink Monday: Honey Peach Lemonade

Sometimes I really plan these blog posts, what I'm going to make when, etc.  Then sometimes I realize I have many pounds of fresh peaches sitting in my fridge that I should probably do something with and I go through my Pinterest boards looking for something I can make with them.  That was this time.  Thanks to many recent produce sales (I love summer!), we've had a plethora of peaches lately and most have been fantastic.  Luke and I have been eating then often (one morning Luke had 3...in a span of 4 hours...I had to put a stop to that one but glad he's grabbing fruit for a snack!) but I still had a lot.  Matt doesn't like fresh peaches (which I think is crazy) but he loves lemonade and so I figured this would be a good way to get him in on some fresh peaches.  Also, I'm not sure he's tried any of the drinks I've made so far this summer so it was about time I made something the whole family could enjoy.

I mixed these mostly up at home and then we just had to add water (which didn't fit in the pitcher I used for transporting) at the lake.  Easy.  Between this, and a sangria and ice cream recipes coming next week, we've used up A LOT of our fruit recently.  Just in time for not much to be on sale.  Which figures.  But we'll survive.

Honey Peach Lemonade
yield: depends on how much water you add but easily between 1/2-1 gallon

Ingredients
1½ cups honey
4 cups water
6 cups chopped (not peeled) peaches, about 8 medium
zest of 4 lemons
1 cup of lemon juice (4-8 lemons, depending on size)
additional water (at least 4 cups)
lemons and/or peaches for garnish

Directions
1) Combine the honey and 4 cups water in a large pan and bring to a simmer.  Stir until the honey is dissolved.
2) Add the chopped peaches and lemon zest.  Simmer on medium-low for about 5 minutes and then remove from heat.  Let cool completely and then strain into a jar or pitcher using a fine-mesh sieve.
3) Stir in the lemon juice (not gonna lie, I juiced 4 lemons and then filled the rest of the measuring cup with bottled juice, between all the zesting, chopping, and juicing...I was taking the easy way).  Chill until ready to serve.
4) When ready to serve/drink, mix the lemonade concentrate with water to taste.  You may need to split into multiple pitchers depending on size and how much water you add.  I started with about half the concentrate in a pitcher, added maybe 4 cups of water?  Then kept adjusting with concentrate and water until it tasted right to me (this process took minutes, it wasn't hugely time intensive).  Garnish with lemons and/or peaches and serve!

Our Thoughts
Luke especially loved this but that might be in part because he mostly drinks milk so anything besides that or water is a treat.  Matt and I both enjoyed it, it was refreshing and tasty for a hot summer day!  The peach and honey made for a nice taste with the lemonade but neither was overwhelming. 

Source: modified from Simple Bites

__________________________________________________________________________
In the summer I aim to make a new drink every week and share them all here, good or bad!  See them all in chronological order by following the "Mixed Drink Monday" tag here or check out my favorites by scrolling down to "Mixed Drink Monday" on my recipes page!