{Thank you to McCormick Grill Mates for sponsoring this post, the first in a three-part series showcasing this summer’s grilling trends.}
When the last time you tried grilling something new? Hopefully this summer will bring lots of fun grilling times your way. I’ve kicked off my summer by grilling a drink!
This recipe for Peach Bourbon Sweet Tea Lemonade, made with grilled peaches and lemons and just a kick of bourbon, comes from McCormick. I was a little unsure…all right, I was closer to skeptical…about whether grilling the fruit would make any difference to the flavor of the drink. Well, I’m here to tell you that it does. A lot!
I knew that grilling peaches caramelizes them on the outside – I now know that the caramel, when you drop the peaches into your drink, further flavors the drink in an amazing way. The longer the peaches soak in the tea, the more the flavors blend. As for the lemons – grilling them seemed to allow more lemon juice to release, as well as some pulp. I picked out the best lemons I could find, but I wouldn’t say they were quite the quality that I might have found a few months ago. Nonetheless, once grilled these lemons were incredibly juicy. Oh, and by the way – charring peaches and lemons on your grill makes your backyard smell like cobbler! (yum)
I don’t make drinks that often (I’m more likely to just open a bottle of wine), but I think I need to change that because this was one of the most refreshing summertime drinks I’ve had in a while! I should add that the bourbon is totally optional – there’s not much in it, it’s not boozy at all.
If you’ve never grilled fruit to make a drink, perhaps you will soon. Charred fruit drinks is one of seven trends featured in the McCormick Grill Mates and Lawry’s Flavor Forecast 2013: GRILLING EDITION. The other six include: 7 Flavors to Watch (sweet tea, smoked tomato, oregano, pecan wood, white peach, ginger and whiskey), DIY Condiments, 5 Minute Marinating, Social S’mores, Smoke & Spice Pairings) and Breads on the Grill. Throughout the summer I’ll be shaking up my regular grilling routine and trying out recipes involving some of these trends.
Peach Bourbon Sweet Tea Lemonade
From the Sweet Tea Lemonade recipe on the McCormick website
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 6 minutes | Total time: 21 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 lemons, halved crosswise
- 4 ripe white peaches, quartered
- 4 cups water
- 2 family-size tea bags, or 6 regular tea bags
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup bourbon whiskey (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Grill lemon halves, cut-sides down, over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly charred. Grill peach wedges over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes per side or until lightly charred. Set peaches aside. Squeeze juice from lemon halves to yield 1/2 cup juice.
- Bring 4 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add tea bags and mint. Let steep 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and mint leaves. Add sugar; stir until dissolved.
- Pour tea into large pitcher. Add 3 cups cold water, bourbon (if using) and lemon juice; mix well. Add grilled peaches. Pour into ice-filled beverage glasses.
Sounds perfect for summer especially for a day out golfing. I wonder if you can do it on an indoor grill? It won’t be smokey, but maybe the sweetness from the char will still be there?
Now that I’ve done I’d say yes, this would definitely work on an indoor grill. I didn’t get that much smoky flavor, especially since the fruit is on for such a short period of time.
This recipe sounds delicious. The McCormick guide is a real bonus too. Thanks for posting.
I would love a big, tall glass of this sweet tea lemonade! With bourbon of course 😉 I’m a big fan of grill peaches, but I have yet to try grilling lemons. I’ll have to give that a go!