Pineapple Lemonade

Photo courtesy of the Barbecue Bros (barbecuebros.com)

Several weeks ago I grabbed lunch at the Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham, NC. The Backyard BBQ Pit is a local restaurant with locations in Durham and Morristown. They serve eastern style bbq which, for those of you not from North Carolina, means the sauce is vinegar and pepper based. They've been featured on the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food as the only open bbq pit in Durham. The only piece of information I knew before going was that, according to my friend, they have the best cabbage in North Carolina (the cabbage was amazing).

I'm not an expert on barbecue and I prefer the dry Memphis style to either of the Carolina styles, but let me tell you, Backyard BBQ Pit is doing things right. It was A-MAZING. The pulled pork was juicy and I got to choose my own sauce, which was an added bonus. The mac-n-cheese was cheesy and full of flavor, the cabbage was just as good as advertised, and hushpuppies were included. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

But here comes the kicker. My drink was better than anything I ate that day. I had a nice big glass of their homemade pineapple lemonade. Let me say that again, PINEAPPLE LEMONADE. Why hadn't I thought of this before? Tangy and sweet, cold and refreshing, it was delightful. I've been thinking about it ever since and this past weekend I decided to try my hand at making a pitcher of my own.

I may have gone overboard. This recipe yields 2 pitchers of lemonade. I promise you, you'll drink it all.

Ingredients

1 can (48ounces) pineapple juice

1/2 cup Country Time lemonade mix

3 cups water

1 fresh pineapple (mashed and strained)

1 12ounce can Sprite

1 12ounce can Ginger Ale

2tsp brown sugar

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup CountryTime lemonade mix with the 3 cups of water and 2 1/2 cups of pineapple juice.

Cut up the pineapple (use this video to make cutting your pineapple a breeze) into bite-sized chunks and use a blender to liquify the fruit. Strain the liquified fruit into your bowl.

Add the sprite, ginger ale, and brown sugar and stir well.  

That's it. You're done! Pour the pineapple lemonade into a large pitcher and let it chill before serving. For an adult version of the lemonade try adding Pineapple Coconut Rum.