While this Carrot Lemonade from southernspicetales Is *technically* a mocktail, all it takes is a little bit of booze to jazz it up. Credit: Instagram / southernspicetales

With COVID-19 forcing us to celebrate the Fourth at home, we reached out to a local chef with a penchant for panache for a refreshing summertime drinks to ensure our long weekend can still be lit — even if we’re stuck at home.

“We’ve been drinking homemade lemonades and teas, like carrot lemonade, hibiscus tea and sun tea,” Chef James Canter of Guerilla Gourmet and Taverna Tex-Med, told the Current. While he typically drinks a specific kind of beer, his wife enjoys cocktails, and he frequently prepares bright classics such as Pimm’s Cups and mojitos for her after a long day.

Intrigued by the idea of carrot lemonade, we found a recipe for a super simple version that was just begging for a little alcoholic augmentation. Actually, you could probably add whiskey to hibiscus tea or sun tea, too, and be just fine.

Spiked Carrot Lemonade

1/2 Tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lemon
2 ounces whiskey
4 ounces carrot juice (Find it in the produce section at your local H-E-B. Just wear a mask!)
Ice

In a cocktail shaker combine lemon, whiskey, carrot juice and honey. Add a few cubes of ice and shake, then pour over ice in short glasses. Serve with a lemon peel or wedge.

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Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...