May 9, 2012

Have y’all ever been to Cheesecake Factory? I’ve only been twice.

That’s totally not fair, right?

Someone needs to build a Cheesecake Factory a bit closer to our home so that I can enjoy it more.

Apparently, their Raspberry Lemonade is to die for. I’ve never actually tried it, but I came across this recipe on Pinterest and fell madly in love. It looked so sweet and red and just a bit thick from the raspberry purée.

I’ve made this a few times since I first saw the recipe. The first time I just drank it as is, without adding any extra water or other liquid (it was thick and delicious and what you see in the above photos), but the second time I added in some vodka. At 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. There is no rule written anywhere that says I can’t drink in the middle of the day.

Quit judging me.

The third time I made this I added an equal amount of Sprite to the lemonade. It was really fun and fizzy and a bit like a raspberry limeade.

Whichever way you make this, it’s a perfect drink for summer. Cool, refreshing, and pretty to look at.

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Raspbery Lemonade (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
Extra sugar for the rim of your glass

Directions:

Heat the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring often, in a small saucepan until the sugar has completely dissolved to make a simple syrup.
Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor and pour in the simple syrup and lemon juice.
Add extra water (or Sprite, if you want it fizzy - but it won't be like Cheesecake Factory's recipe) to thin it out to the consistency and flavor that you like.
Run a lemon slice around the rim of your glass, dip the glass in sugar, and serve with ice.

lightly adapted from The Sexy Knitter.

Drinky Time, Fruit

19 comments »

19 Responses to “Raspberry Lemonade (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)”

Averie @ Averie Cooks May 9, 2012 @ 9:52 am (#
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I have a Cheesecake Factory a mile from me. It’s kinda dangerous
Cookbook Queen May 9, 2012 @ 9:59 am (#
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I finally went to the Cheesecake Factory for the very first time last weekend. LOVED. IT. Even my husband was super duper impressed. And now I am wishing I had tried this lemonade….
Blog is the New Black May 9, 2012 @ 11:10 am (#
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I’ve never had this, but I bet it’s wonderful!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking May 9, 2012 @ 3:11 pm (#
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Ooooh! This looks so refreshing and delicious. Though, something tells me this would be even better with a little vodka. Just a hunch.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar May 9, 2012 @ 7:28 pm (#
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Goodness, this sounds awesome!
Joanne May 9, 2012 @ 8:35 pm (#
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I only ever ate at Cheesecake factory while I lived in Boston because it’s in all the malls there! SO GOOD. It’s definitely my favorite “bad” food to eat. I’ve never had any of the drinks there though….so my options are now to either go back to Boston or drink this at ungodly early hours of the morning here at home. I think you know what I’ll be up to this weekend.
Anna @Crunchy Creamy Sweet May 9, 2012 @ 10:50 pm (#
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I have never had the Cheesecake Factory’s Raspberry Lemonade but it happens to be my favorite Summer drink. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
Shawn @ I Wash...You Dry May 10, 2012 @ 12:02 pm (#
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I am getting thirsty just looking at this! I need to go to Cheesecake Factory more often!
grace May 11, 2012 @ 9:02 am (#
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i can honestly say i’ve never even looked at the cheesecake factory drink menu. it’s all about stuffing myself with an entree then squeezing in dessert.
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake May 11, 2012 @ 9:17 am (#
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I love the Cheesecake Factory!! We only get to eat there every now & again but I’ve never had anything bad there. Their nachos are our favorite. My sister loves their raspberry lemonade so she would love this! Looks so refreshing!
Heather May 11, 2012 @ 12:31 pm (#
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Just made this (and pinned it!) and its to die for!!
I didnt have quite enough raspberries so I tossed in some mixed frozen berry medly that I had in the freezer.
I also happened to have some raspberry vodka hanging out in the back of the freezer that I added to my glass.
Thank you so much for sharing this, I know I’ll be making it all summer. And I think this would be a great hostess gift to put in a mason jar as well for someone to mix with stuff!
- Karly — May 11th, 2012 @ 1:00 pm
  
  @Heather,
  
  Ooh, raspberry vodka was a brilliant addition! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for pinning!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious May 12, 2012 @ 1:03 am (#
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How refreshing! Will definitely have to make this soon! Maybe I’ll even swap out the raspberries for some strawberries. Yum!
- Kristen — May 26th, 2012 @ 9:06 am
  
  Their Strawberry Lemonade is my FAVORITE drink ever!!!
Amy May 15, 2012 @ 8:58 am (#
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How perfect would this be for a lazy summer afternoon? I need this.
Kirsten May 22, 2012 @ 7:07 pm (#
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I found this recipe on pinterest and wanted to thank you for sharing! That looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. But I gotta ask, where did you get those adorable glasses?
Lillian June 14, 2012 @ 4:50 pm (#
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Mmmmm! that looks delicious! Unfortunately we don’t have a Cheesecake Factory in Montreal but I have all the ingredients and will definitely try it this weekend for Father’S day!! I like the version with the vodka in it!! LOL!!! TFS
Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen June 24, 2012 @ 4:09 pm (#
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This looks so refreshing! No judgment here on the addition of vodka…that sounds delicious to me