When life hands you lemons, make LEMONADE! We are HUGE lemonade lovers in this house, the original lemonade is great, but I like to kick it up a notch! Everybody knows how to make lemonade, right? Squeeze some lemons, add sugar and water. Now, how to make lemonade so that it tastes right, everytime? Here’s a surefire method.
Remember the starting proportions – 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of lemon juice.
For the traditional lemonade lovers you will want to use sugar. First you will need to make a simple syrup. Just combine one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a pot and boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. While the sugar water is boiling, squeeze 4-6 lemons to get your cup of lemon juice, and add 3-4 cups of cold water, depending on the size of your pitcher, and how strong you want the lemonade. Add the simple syrup, stir, refrigerate and enjoy!
Now, for the lemonade of all lemonades, adding some flavor! It’s summer, and the fruit is in abundance! I like to buy local, and use raw honey instead of sugar. I use about ½ cup to ¾ , because the fruit adds some natural sweetness. The combinations are endless, but some of my favorites are Orange Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade, and the ever popular, Strawberry Lemonade.
I like to use the blender when using honey, it mixes more evenly. I add the honey and a cup of warm water, and add any fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc) to the blender, about 1 ½ cups. If you are using oranges or other fruits that need to be juiced, I add about 1 cup of the squeezed juice, plus 1 cup of squeezed lemons. You can kick it up another notch by adding fresh mint to blueberry lemonade, fresh basil to the strawberry, or any of your favorite herbs! Perfect for those hot summer days by the pool or lake, or evening for a barbeque! The flavored lemonades are also delightful with your favorite vodka or rum for a summertime adult beverage!