Lemonade Parties Are The Perfect Summer Tea Party Alternative

In 1840, Duchess Anna of Bedford wanted something to tide her over between lunch and dinner. She asked for a pot of tea, bread, butter, and cake every day and started inviting friends to join her; and thus, afternoon tea was born. It's a cute tradition, but who wants a hot cuppa on a scorching summer day? Enter the lemonade party. Picture you and your friends enjoying ice-cold lemonade and tasty snacks al fresco. Cool, right?

Lemonade is an extra refreshing drink in the summer and simple enough to create at home (just water, lemons, and sugar), but it's important to maintain the perfect 4 x 1 x 1 ratio of water, lemon juice, and sugar when making lemonade from scratch. If you don't want to squeeze all those lemons (you can also use a stand mixer), there are plenty of boozy lemonade brands to reduce decision fatigue.

Invite your guests to customize their lemonade with a mix-in station covered with options like fresh mint, basil, crushed fruit, lavender syrup, or lemon zest (to name a few). If you're feeling daring, you can spice up the lemonade with zesty fresh peppers.

Now that you have your lemonade bar, your guests need something to eat. As with tea parties, finger foods are a must. Think, small chicken salad sandwiches and bruschetta bites. Serve up savory snacks on a yellow-themed board bursting with yellow bell peppers, yellow carrots, yellow cauliflower, hummus, cheese, crackers, and other sunshine-colored foods you find. You can also go in a coastal direction with a fancy shrimp cocktail or a trendy "seacuterie" board (fish is traditionally served with lemon, after all). Lemony pasta salad would also be a great addition (here's how to get yours to taste more like a deli's).

For desserts, lean on lemon zest: lemon bars, iced lemon poppy seed shortbread cookies, or lemon mousse would all be great options. Any of these with a big bowl of watermelon-and-berry fruit salad will make your guests happy, I'm sure. Present everything over a bright tablespace, and you're good to go. Drink, eat, and soak up the sunshine. The lemonade party might become your favorite new summer tradition.