Lemonade Ice Cubes

- Merrill

A few weeks ago, we went to the wedding of some good friends out on Long Island. Despite a few drops of rain during the ceremony, everything came off without a hitch, and the pre-reception cocktail was a particular highlight: it was a refreshing Pimm’s cup, and bobbing within it were ice cubes that had berries embedded in them, almost like beautiful, rainbow-bright fossils in amber.

I told Amanda about the ice cubes that week, and we somehow got on the topic of her technique of making lemon ice cubes for lemonade (so that the ice doesn’t dilute, but rather reinforces the flavor of the drink). I thought: why not combine the two? So here is my almost embarrassingly simple recipe for lemonade ice cubes, studded with fresh berries. They have a hint of sweetness, but not so much as to make them sticky. Give them a go, and let me know what you think!

Lemonade Ice Cubes

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Fresh berries of your choice
• 
  

Stir together ¼ cup hot water and the sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup cold water and then the lemon juice, stirring to combine. Put a berry (or two if they’re small) into each hollow of an ice cube tray and then fill each halfway with lemonade. Put the tray in the freezer for an hour or two, until frozen. Fill the hollows completely with lemonade and freeze again until completely solid. Use to chill glasses of lemonade, or add to a Pimm's cup!