Patriotic Fruit Punch

This Fourth of July, follow in the footsteps of the First Ladies of the White House by serving some punch at your next get together!

Here are three recipes that you and your child can make together. In keeping with the holiday theme, these three recipes use red summer fruit and draw on the White House tradition of serving lemonade on the Fourth of July. For an especially festive touch, try serving these drinks on ice with a colorful, homemade patriotic drink parasols from our Activities section!

Strawberry Lemonade

About 6 servings, 12 ounces each

• Approx. 3/4 lb of strawberries
• 8 oz of frozen lemonade (from a 12 oz can)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 cups of water
• 2 lemons

Start with 1 pound of strawberries (roughly one heaping basket). Have your child help you wash them and cut off the hulls and slice each one in two (don’t worry about safety--kids can do this with a table knife). Place the berries in a bowl and cover them with 1 tablesppon of sugar. Stir the berries so that they are coated evenly in the sugar. Let them stand 20 minutes until they are nice and juicy. This is called maceration. Pour the whole mixture into a blender, along with the juice of two fresh lemons. Then add 8 oz of frozen lemonade, 3 cups of water, and 2 cups of crushed ice. Mix to combine. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Raspberry Limeade

8 servings, ~10 ounces each

• 3 cups fresh or frozen red raspberries (if frozen, make sure there is no added sugar)
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• ¾ cup fresh lime juice
• 7 cups water
• 8 thin lime slices
• ½ cup fresh raspberries

In a blender, grind up 3 cups of fresh or frozen red raspberries with one cup of water, and puree until smooth. Press the mixture through two layers of cheesecloth, or you can use a sieve, to separate the puree from the seeds. Pour the puree into a large pitcher, and add the rest of the water along with the lime juice and sugar. You and your child may want to taste as you go along. Some folks like to add a little extra lime; others prefer more sugar! Serve over ice with a lime slice and some raspberries floating in each glass, or you can pour everything into a big punch bowl with lime slices and berries floating on top.

Watermelon-Citrus Punch

7 servings, ~1 cup each

• 7-1/2 cups of chopped, seedless watermelon (leftovers from our “watermelon stars” recipe work great!)
• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 7 sprigs of fresh mint
• 7 thin slices of fresh lime

Use a blender to grind up the watermelon until it is liquid. Pour it into a large pitcher with the lime juice, water and sugar and stir to combine. Serve over ice, with a fresh sprig of mint and a slice of lime, or in a large punchbowl with ice, mint, and lime floating on top.

Did you Know:

Lemonade was actually once a “political” issue in the White House! From 1877 to 1881, our First Lady, Lucy Webb Hayes, the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, refused to serve alcohol in the White House. Lucy was a devoted Methodist and supporter of the Temperance (anti-alcohol) movement in the United States. Instead of alcohol, she served lemonade at White House gatherings. It was the source of a fair amount of controversy back then! To thank Lucy, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union commissioned a full length portrait of her which hung in the White House. Some of her less supportive constituents gave her the nickname “Lemonade Lucy”!