Make Lemonade

Lemonade is one of the most enjoyable summer drinks; it refreshes and quenches thirst. There are a lot of ways to squeeze those lemons and make lemonade and you are likely to find your own preferred way through experimenting over time. It is especially good during hot weather! This article will not only show you two ways of making lemonade, but it will also give you some ideas on how to customize your lemonade.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Classic Lemonade[1]

  • 6 cups (1.35 liters) cold water
  • 2 cups (450 milliliters) lemon juice (8 – 10 lemons)
  • 1 cup (225 grams) sugar
  • a pinch of salt (optional)

Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Lemonade[2]

Simple Syrup

  • 1 cup (225 grams) sugar
  • 1 cup (225 milliliters) water

Lemonade

  • 1 cup (225 milliliters) lemon juice (about 6 – 8 lemons)
  • 4 cups (900 milliliters) water

Steps

Making Classic Lemonade

  1. Find a large pitcher. The pitcher will need to be able to hold about 8 cups (1.90 liters) of liquid.
  2. Squeeze some lemons to make lemon juice. You will need 2 cups (450 milliliters) of lemon juice, which will take about eight to ten lemons. Cut the lemons in half, and use a citrus squeezer, a hand juicer, or a wooden reamer to squeeze the juice from the lemons.
    • To get more juice out of each lemon, roll the lemons across a flat surface while pressing down on them. Do this before cutting and juicing them. The rolling and pressing motion loosens the flesh inside and helps the lemons release more juice when you squeeze them.[3]
  3. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher. You may add the pulp if you like a thicker lemonade, or you may discard it along with the seeds. If you do not want the pulp, you can put a strainer over the pitcher, before pouring in the lemon juice. The strainer will catch the pulp. Once all of the juice is inside the pitcher, take the strainer off the pitcher and discard the pulp and seeds.
  4. Add in some cold water. You will need 6 cups (1.35 liters) of cold water. You can also use sparkling for a carbonated lemonade.
  5. Add in the sugar. You will need about 1 cup (225 grams) of sugar. If you'd like your lemonade to be less sweet, then use a little bit less sugar.
  6. Stir the lemonade and taste. You can use a large spoon or a whisk. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves; there may be some sugar granules left at the bottom of the pitcher, which is normal. At this point, you can taste the lemonade to see if it needs to be sweeter or less sweet. Here are some suggestions:[2]
    • If the lemonade is too sour, add a few tablespoons of sugar.
    • If the lemonade is too sweet, add the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt, if desired.
  7. Put the lemonade into the refrigerator. Leave the lemonade in the fridge for about 3 hours.
  8. Serve the lemonade over ice. Put some ice cubes into a glass, and pour the lemonade into the glass. You can garnish the lemonade with a slice of lemon or a few mint leaves.

Making Old-Fashioned Lemonade

  1. Find a large pitcher. The pitcher will need to be able to hold about 10 cups (2.37 liters) of liquid.
  2. Squeeze some lemons to make 1 cup (225 milliliters) of lemon juice. Take six to eight lemons, cut them in half, and squeeze the juice from them using a citrus squeezer, a hand juicer, or a wooden reamer.
    • To get the most juice out of the lemons, roll the lemons across the counter, while pressing down on them, before cutting and juicing them. This loosens the flesh inside and helps the lemons release more juice when you squeeze them.[3]
  3. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher. If you'd like a thicker lemonade, then include the pulp. If you do not want the pulp in your lemonade, then place a sieve over the pitcher and pour the lemon juice through that. The mesh will catch any unwanted pulp. Once all the juice is in the pitcher, remove the sieve and discard the pulp and seeds.
  4. Place a saucepan on the stove. In this version, you will be making a simple syrup first. This will allow the sugar to dissolve more completely and prevent any sugar granules from sinking to the bottom of the pitcher.
  5. Pour some water and sugar into the saucepan. You will need 1 cup (225 grams) of sugar and 1 cup (225 milliliters) of water. Stir the sugar and water to combine.
    • Consider adding extra ingredients. You can make your lemonade even more flavorful by adding some herbs, such as lavender and thyme. If you choose to do this, you will need to pour the sugar-water through a sieve in order to catch the herbs. Refer to the section in this article on adding garnishes and extra ingredients for more ideas.
  6. Heat the sugar and water. Turn the stove on and bring the sugar and water to a simmer. Keep stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved and there are no grains.
  7. Pour the sugar-water into the pitcher. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the stove off and take the saucepan off the burner. Slowly pour the sugar-water into the pitcher. If you added any extra ingredients to the sugar-water, such as herbs, put a sieve over the pitcher before pouring in the sugar-water. The sieve will catch any loose herbs.
  8. Add 4 cups (900 milliliters) of cold water to the pitcher. If you like your lemonade sweet, then use a little less water. If you like your lemonade less sweet, then use more water. You can also use sparkling water for a carbonated lemonade.
  9. Stir the lemonade and taste. Once you have everything in the pitcher, stir the lemonade using a long spoon or a whisk. At this point, you can taste the lemonade to see if it needs to be more sweet or less sweet. Here are some guidelines:[2]
    • If the lemonade needs to be sweeter, add a few more tablespoons of sugar.
    • If the lemonade is too sweet, add the juice of half a lemon.
  10. Put the lemonade in the refrigerator. Leave the lemonade in the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes.
  11. Serve the lemonade. Once the lemonade has cooled down, take it out of the fridge. Drop a few ice cubes into a tall glass, and pour the lemonade over the ice. You may garnish it with some mint leaves or lemon slices.

Adding Garnishes and Extra Ingredients

  1. Consider substituting regular water for sparkling water. You can make a sparkling lemonade using sparkling water instead of regular water. If you are making old-fashioned lemonade, use regular water when making the simple syrup, and sparkling water instead of regular water for the rest of the recipe.[4]
  2. Use honey instead of sugar. When making classic lemonade, use ½ cup (175 grams) of raw honey instead of 1 cup (225 grams) of sugar.[5]
  3. Add some lavender flowers to make some old-fashioned lavender lemonade. When making the simple syrup for the old-fashioned lemonade, add one tablespoon of dried lavender flowers (food-grade) to the sugar-water and let the syrup cool for 30 minutes. Pour the syrup over a strainer when adding it to the lemon juice. The strainer will catch the lavender flowers, but will let the lavender-infused syrup drain through. Discard the flowers and stair the lemonade.[6]
    • The lavender-infused lemonade will not be purple. If you wish to give it a lavender color, add one to two drops of purple food coloring and stir. If you do not have purple food coloring, add one drop of red food coloring and one drop of blue food coloring. Be sure to stir the lemonade well to blend all of the colors.
  4. Make some herb-infused old-fashioned lemonade. When making the simple syrup for your old-fashioned lemonade, add ½ cup (15 grams) of fresh basil, thyme, or mint leaves to the sugar water and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, take the saucepan off the burner and turn the stove off. Let the herbs sit in the sugar-water for 30 minutes, then pour the herb-infused syrup through a sieve into the lemon juice. Take the sieve off the pitcher, and stir the lemonade.[7]
  5. Add strawberries to make strawberry lemonade. Puree 2 cups (400 grams) of chopped strawberries in a blender. Pour the pureed strawberries into the lemonade and stir until blended.
  6. Add some zing with fresh ginger. Add three slices of ginger to a pitcher of lemonade for a more refreshing drink.[2]
  7. Add some color with berries or sliced citrus. You can make your lemonade look more interesting (and give it a hint of extra flavor) by adding some fruit or citrus directly into the lemonade. You do not have to cook or smash anything. You can use whole raspberries or blacked berries, or halved strawberries. You can also slice up lemons or limes.
  8. Add in some fresh herbs. Take about 8 leaves of mint or basil (or a few sprigs of thyme) and add them to the lemonade. Crush the herbs against the sides of the pitcher with a long spoon or spatula. Leave the herbs in the lemonade; the longer the herbs remain in the lemonade, the more flavors they will release.[8]
  9. Add some garnishes to the glasses. When serving the lemonade, you can add some garnishes to the glasses to make them look more sophisticated. Here are some ideas:
    • Slip a short sprig of lavender or thyme to each glass before pouring in the lemonade.
    • Drop two to three fresh mint or basil leaves on top of the lemonade after you pour it into the glass.
    • Cut a lemon or lime into thin slices, then cut a slit into each slice. Slip each slice onto the rim of the glass. You can also cut a slit into a strawberry and put the strawberry onto the rim of the glass.
    • Serve the lemonade in mason jars and add a colorful paper straw for a rustic touch.
    • Serve the lemonade in a tall glass with a paper umbrella and a maraschino cherry for a classical touch.
  10. Experiment with adding other fruit juices and extracts. You can make your lemonade more flavorful by substituting some of the water for another fruit juice. You can also add a few drops of extract or flavoring, such as lavender extract, orange blossom water, or a bit of ground cinnamon.
  11. Make some adult-only lemonade by adding a splash of vodka, rum, tequila, or Angostura bitters.



Tips

  • If you are worried about the ice diluting the lemonade and making it water, consider pouring some lemonade into an ice cube tray and freezing it. Use these lemonade ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes in your drink.
  • If the lemonade is too sour, add a few tablespoons of sugar.
  • Adding a pinch of salt brings out the flavor.
  • If you are using Meyer lemons, you may have to use less sugar as Meyer lemons tend to be sweeter.
  • Freeze it to have frozen lemonade.
  • If the lemonade is too sweet, add the juice of half a lemon.
  • Consider making the lemonade stronger and sweeter first. When you add the ice, the ice will melt and dilute the lemonade.[7]

Warnings

  • Lemon juice will burn if squirted into the eye. Avoid unnecessary squeezing and thoroughly rinse eye if stinging occurs.

Things You'll Need

  • Citrus squeezer, hand juicer, or wooden reamer
  • Small saucepan (Old-Fashioned Lemonade)
  • Pitcher
  • Whisk or spoon

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Betty Crocker, Old-Fashioned Lemonade
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Kitchn, How to Make Real Lemonade from Scratch
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Kitchn, 5 Tips for Squeezing the Most Juice from Limes and Lemons
  4. ↑ The Chic Life, Easy Sparkling Lemonade
  5. ↑ Red and Honey, Honey Sweetened Lemonade
  6. ↑ Simply Recipes, Lavender Lemonade
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Design Mom, 9 Secrets to Amazing Homemade Lemonade
  8. ↑ Inspiring Pretty, Basil Lemonade Recipe
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