WASH THE FRUIT

• Rinse the blueberries and lemons thoroughly under cool running water. Allow the blueberries to drain and dry the lemons before cutting.

PREHEAT THE GRILL

• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill for direct cooking at approximately 400–450°F.

GRILL SOME OF THE LEMONS

• Cut 2 to 3 lemons in half.
• Place the lemon halves cut-side-down directly on the hot grill.
• Grill for approximately 2–3 minutes, just until the cut surfaces develop light caramelization and a few charred spots.
• Remove from the grill and allow them to cool enough to handle.
• Do not heavily blacken the lemons.

MAKE THE HONEY SYRUP

• Combine 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup hot water.
• Stir until the honey and sugar have completely dissolved.
• Set aside to cool.

MUDDLE THE BLUEBERRIES

• Place approximately 1 cup of the blueberries into the bottom of a large pitcher.
• Gently crush the berries with a wooden spoon, muddler, or potato masher until they release their juice.
• Do not completely puree the fruit.

JUICE THE LEMONS

• Juice the grilled and fresh lemons until you have approximately 1 cup of lemon juice.
• Strain out any seeds.
• For a cleaner lemonade, the juice can also be passed through a fine-mesh strainer.

BUILD THE LEMONADE

• Add the lemon juice to the pitcher with the muddled blueberries.
• Pour in the cooled honey syrup.
• Add 4 cups cold water, the remaining 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, and a small pinch of kosher salt.
• Stir thoroughly.

TASTE AND ADJUST

• Taste the lemonade before chilling.
• For additional sweetness, dissolve a little more honey in warm water and stir it into the pitcher.
• For a lighter lemonade, add additional cold water.
• For more tartness, add additional fresh lemon juice.

CHILL

• Refrigerate the lemonade for at least 30 minutes before serving.

ADD THE SPARKLING WATER

• Immediately before serving, gently stir in 2 cups chilled sparkling water.
• Do not add the sparkling water far in advance or it will lose carbonation.

SERVE

• Fill glasses with ice and pour in the Blueberry Honey Lemonade.
• Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon wheels if desired.

Serve immediately.

NO-GRILL METHOD

• Skip the grilling step completely.
• Use approximately 1 cup of juice from fresh, ungrilled lemons and continue with the recipe as written.
• The finished drink will be brighter and more traditionally citrus-forward without the subtle caramelized flavor from the grilled lemons.

STILL LEMONADE OPTION

• Replace the 2 cups sparkling water with 2 cups additional cold water.
• Adjust sweetness and acidity to taste.

ADULT BOURBON VERSION

• Keep the main pitcher alcohol-free.
• Add 1 1/2 ounces bourbon to an ice-filled serving glass.
• Top with Blueberry Honey Lemonade and stir gently.
• Finish with additional sparkling water if desired.
• Vodka or gin can be substituted for bourbon.