Color Changing Lemonade Refreshing Summer Delight

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (made from 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water)
• 4 cups cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder or dried butterfly pea flowers
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• to taste cubes ice cubes
• for garnish fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. Prepare Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow it to cool.
2. Mix Lemonade Base: In a pitcher, combine the fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and cold water. Stir well to combine. This is your base lemonade mixture.
3. Infuse Color: If using butterfly pea flower powder, dissolve it in a cup of hot water to create a concentrated blue color, and stir until fully blended. If using dried flowers, steep them in hot water for about 5-10 minutes, then strain to remove the flowers.
4. Create the Color Change Effect: Gradually add the blue butterfly pea infusion to the lemonade base. Stir gently. The mixture will take on a beautiful blue color.
5. Add a Twist: In a separate small bowl, mix the baking soda with a tablespoon of water to dissolve it. Slowly whisk this into the blue lemonade. Watch as the color changes from blue to a vibrant purple and then gradually to a pinkish hue as it reacts with the acidity of the lemon juice!
6. Serve: Pour the color-changing lemonade over ice cubes in glasses, filling them up to about three-quarters full.
7. Garnish: Add fresh mint leaves on top for a refreshing touch and an aromatic enhancement.