Watermelon Lemonade With Cucumber

Watermelon Lemonade With Cucumber

3½ cups water, divided

½ cup sugar

8 cups watermelon chunks

juice of 3 large lemons, strained

½ of a large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, cut into chunks

Combine ½ cup water and the sugar in a small pan, heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, to make simple syrup. Remove from heat.

Place the watermelon chunks, water, lemon juice and cucumber in a pitcher. Add about 1/3 of the simple syrup to start. Puree. Taste for sweetness and add more simple syrup if desired. Strain the mixture and transfer to a pitcher, chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.