Vanilla Bean Lemonade

The last couple days have been super busy for me, sorry for my lack of posting. My Mountain Man's family is in town visiting us in Savannah. So we're busy entertaining for the weekend. But, here's a quick recipe for a Vanilla Bean Lemonade that is just so perfect for a picnic. I would never think that I would like something so sweet in a tangy drink, but somehow vanilla bean + lemon really work. I'll be back to posting a revamped recipe on Sunday morning. Anyway, we loved this lemonade... it was practically a dessert!! Enjoy :)

Vanilla Bean Lemonade

Look for the specks of vanilla bean :)

For the Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup:

1C Water

1C Honey

2 Vanilla Beans, Split & Scraped for Beans

For the Vanilla Bean Lemonade:

Prepared Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup, Chilled

1C Fresh Lemon Juice

3-4C Cold Water

Directions:

1. For the Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup: In a pot, heat the sugar and water, whisking until the sugar is dissolved completely. Add in the vanilla beans and their pods into the syrup and let them steep in the boiling syrup. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for 3 hours. Once the syrup is thick and room temperature, remove the pods and then pour the syrup into a container and chill overnight.
2. For the Vanilla Bean Lemonade: Add the fresh lemon juice, chilled vanilla bean simple syrup, and cold water (about 3-4C depending on the desired strength). Refrigerate the vanilla bean lemonade for an hour.
3. Pour into mason jars that are filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices & a straw.  Enjoy this beverage while laying in the hot sun.