Magic Lemonade
Transforming everyday lemonade into something truly magical, our Magic Lemonade is both stunning and refreshingly tangy. This far from ordinary lemonade is mesmerizing to watch, as the kaleidoscope of colors continually change when the lemonade and butterfly tea slowly combine. We have joined two super easy and tasty drink recipes to create this beautiful non-alcoholic beverage that is great for adults and kids alike. The flavor and look of this drink provides a unique appeal for all ages, which makes this a great make ahead recipe for entertaining, and a wonderful drink to serve a crowd.
If you are looking for an easy recipe where you can get the kids involved, this is the one. It almost feels like a wacky science experiment! This recipe is flexible, so even though homemade lemonade is always best, you can use your favorite store bought lemonade to make this a super quick and easy recipe. Want to know how to make this non-alcoholic drink keto friendly? Read about this in our Blog Comments & Tips below.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/24/22
MAGIC LEMONADE (non-alcoholic)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to barely a boil, then let it cool to 176°-194°F (80°-90°C). Remove from heat, immediately add dried butterfly pea flowers to the water, stir, and let steep for 20 minutes (up to 30 minutes for a deeper color). Pour tea through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup, stir in agave nectar (or honey, or sugar free syrup), and let cool completely. Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- With a juicer, squeeze fresh lemon juice and add to a large pitcher (strain, if desired). Add agave nectar (see Note #1) and with a long mixing spoon, stir well until sugar is completely dissolved. Add filtered water, stir, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Once the tea and lemonade are completely chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Place about 1½ cups of ice cubes (or more) into each tall glass (16 to 18 ounce tumbler). Pour about 6 ounces of lemonade into each glass or until it's ¾ full, and add a few more ice cubes so they are sitting above the lemonade. Then into each glass, very slowly pour about ½ to 1 ounce of butterfly tea directly over the ice cubes, so that it is floating on top of the lemonade, and do NOT stir (wait to stir until after it has been served, so you can see the color change). Garnish with a lemon slice (see Note #3) and a cute straw, and serve immediately!
Notes
- Sugar Substitutions: In place of agave nectar, you can replace it with ½ cup superfine sugar, or ⅓ cup Honey Simple Syrup, or ½ cup sugar free sweetener. Increase or decrease sweetener to taste.
- Lemonade Substitutions: Although we always recommend fresh lemonade, there are great store bought substitutions for fresh squeezed available now. This makes it especially easy to prepare this recipe for a crowd. Just replace the lemonade ingredients with 7 ounces of store bought lemonade. We like Simply Lemonade, or Trader Joe’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade. Keep in mind that store bought lemonades contain much more sugar, so this drink will turn out much sweeter than our homemade recipe.
- To keep your drink colder a little longer, try a frozen lemon slice garnish. Visit our Tips & Tricks page (Tip #2 - How to Freeze Citrus Fruit).
- Recipe can be made ahead of time. This is a great recipe for a crowd. Just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, just give each mixture another stir, add ice cubes to each glass, and pour the lemonade first into glasses, then the butterfly tea, garnish, and serve!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
55.36Fat (grams)
0.17Sat. Fat (grams)
0.02Carbs (grams)
14.24Fiber (grams)
0.15Net carbs
14.09Sugar (grams)
11.21Protein (grams)
0.16Sodium (milligrams)
11.06Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Butterfly Tea
STEP 1
In a small saucepan, bring 2 ¼ cups filtered water to barely a boil, then let it cool to 176°-194°F (80°-90°C). Remove from heat, immediately add 7 dried butterfly pea flowers (see Note below) to the water, stir, and let steep for 20 minutes (up to 30 minutes for a deeper color).
Note: Don’t steep for longer than 30 minutes, as it will change the flavor. If you want an even deeper tea color, just increase the number of butterfly pea flowers to 10.
STEP 2
Pour tea through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup (or mason jar), stir in 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey, or sugar free syrup), and let cool completely. Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Note: You should end up with 2 cups of butterfly tea.
Lemonade
STEP 1
With a juicer, squeeze 1 cup fresh lemon juice and add to a large pitcher (strain, if desired). Add ⅓ cup agave nectar (or to taste, see Sugar Substitutions below), and with a long mixing spoon, stir well until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 4 cups filtered water, stir, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Sugar Substitutions: In place of agave nectar, you can replace it with ½ cup superfine sugar, or ⅓ cup Honey Simple Syrup, or ½ cup sugar free sweetener. Increase or decrease sweetener to taste, and keep in mind that it will be diluted a little when you add the sweetened butterfly tea.
STEP 2
Once the tea and lemonade are completely chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Place about 1½ cups of ice cubes (or more) into each tall glass (16 to 18 ounce tumbler). Pour about 6 ounces of lemonade into each glass or until it’s ¾ full, and add a few more ice cubes so they are sitting above the lemonade. Then into each glass, very slowly pour about ½ to 1 ounce of butterfly tea directly over the ice cubes, so that it is floating on top of the lemonade, and do NOT stir (wait to stir until after it has been served, so you can see the color change).
SERVE!
Garnish with a frozen lemon slice (see Note below) and a cute straw, serve immediately, and watch it transform!
The butterfly tea will slowly seep into the lemonade and continually change color. When you stir it, it will become a solid color, but will continue to change into different shades of lavender as the ice starts melting.
Note: To keep your drink colder a little longer, try a frozen lemon slice garnish. Visit our Tips & Tricks page (Tip #2 - How to Freeze Citrus Fruit).
Notes:
Lemonade Substitutions: Although we always recommend fresh lemonade, there are great store bought substitutions for fresh squeezed available now. This makes it especially easy to prepare this recipe for a crowd. Just replace the lemonade ingredients with 7 ounces of store bought lemonade. We like Simply Lemonade, or Trader Joe’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade. Keep in mind that store bought lemonades contain much more sugar, so this drink will turn out much sweeter than our homemade recipe.
Recipe can be made ahead of time. This is a great recipe for a crowd. Just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, just give each mixture another stir, add ice cubes to each glass, and pour the lemonade first into glasses, then the butterfly tea, garnish, and serve!
VIDEO
How to Make this refreshing Magic Lemonade!
Blog Comments & Tips
A magical drink for all ages!
This is no ordinary lemonade, as it magically transforms before your eyes! Starting with layers of color, this lemonade slowly blends and changes colors from cobalt blue, to light lavender and pink. When you give it a stir, all the colors mix together to change into a different tone of lavender. As the ice begins to melt, you will see the shades of lavender go from purple to a lighter pink color, to eventually resemble pink lemonade.
This mystical beverage is truly fun for all ages. I have served this drink to kids and adults alike, varying in ages from 8 to 91 years and the reactions are always the same. The oohs and aahs are consistent between all generations, as this Magic Lemonade is undeniably a show stopper of a drink. As evidence, I served this to my godparents (88 and 91 years old) recently, and they were so impressed that they stopped to take photos, and asked me to make it again so they could send it to their friends! I was really tickled pink (pun intended) by their reaction, as I pretty much felt like telling the world about this super cool lemonade after I made it the first time, too. Even after testing this recipe numerous times, to this day I still get a kick out of making it and seeing the colors change!
The PMR Test Kitchens went through many variations to create this recipe and we really hope you enjoy it. It’s a wonderful summertime drink, and it easily can serve a crowd. Because it’s a make ahead recipe, it’s perfect for entertaining. It works for all dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and it can easily be made keto, too! To find out how to make it keto friendly, check out the Pimp Our Recipe suggestions.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a great Magic Lemonade:
Use high quality organic ingredients. Use organic lemons (try Meyer lemons), and we love Suncore Foods Butterfly Pea Flowers for the butterfly tea.
Use filtered water, as tap water contains many minerals and elements that will affect the taste of your lemonade and tea.
Before serving, cool your tea and lemonade completely.
Follow our step by step instructions for how to pour this drink, as the “special effects” will not be the same if you quickly pour in the tea and mix it together.
Do NOT stir. If serving for guests, present it as it and let your guests do the stirring. It’s best if you watch it change within the first minute of serving.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it More Mellow: Lemonade is naturally a little tart and tangy. This recipe adds 1 to 2 ounces of butterfly tea to each glass, so it will automatically dilute the lemonade and make it less lemony. If it’s still too tangy, just add 1 extra ounce (total of 3 oz.) of butterfly tea to each serving to get a more mellow flavor.
Make it with Real Sugar: Make sure to taste testing after you try the following substitutions (as it really should be to taste) :
Butterfly Tea: Substitute 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar for 1 tablespoon agave nectar.
Lemonade: Substitute ½ cup granulated sugar for ⅓ agave nectar.
Make it Keto: You will need to substitute the sweetener in both the tea and lemonade mixtures. Increase or decrease the amounts to taste.
Butterfly Tea: In place of the agave nectar (or honey), replace with 1 tablespoon of sugar free syrup, or sugar-free sweetener of your choice. Increase or decrease the amount of sweetener, as needed.
Lemonade: In place of agave nectar, replace with ½ cup sugar-free sweetener, or ⅓ cup sugar free syrup, and adjust to taste.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to pour the butterfly VERY SLOWLY and directly over the ice cubes. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a light pink-ish, or lavender lemonade. Still looks great, but it will not have the same effect!
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