This refreshingly delicious lemonade is so easy to make at home. Made with only 3 ingredients, this simple recipe is perfectly fresh and wonderful!
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade! And that is exactly what I did with that big old bag of lemons I bought from Costco! Easily the best use of those lemons.
When hot weather comes onto the scene, lemonade is a must around here! Our patio demands it, really. There is nothing better after a day of gardening in the hot sun, then relaxing into a patio chair with a glass of lemonade to cool me off.
A cocktail is also a nice option, but combining both of these ideas is even better. Spiked lemonade, anyone? Add an ounce of vodka to a glass of lemonade is definitely Herbs approved!
Making homemade lemonade
Homemade lemonade is incredibly easy to make in no time at all! It requires very few ingredients and produces a fresh taste that you simply can’t get from a store-bought lemonade!
What you’ll need:
- sugar
- water
- lemons
That’s it. 3 things and one of them is water!
I make a whole pitcher using about 6-8 lemons (depending on their size and juiciness). So much yumminess requiring so little work! And its so economical too!
What to do:
To start making the perfect lemonade, you need to start with making a simple syrup. To make a simple syrup, I combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer it until the sugar has dissolved. Then you let it cool to room temperature before mixing it into your lemonade (or favourite cocktail).
Simple syrup can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a month.
If you are a bit rushed and need to cool your simple syrup faster, I add some ice cubes to the cooling syrup to speed up the process. Just be sure to adjust the amount of water you add to the pitcher to account for all of the extra water produced by the melting ice. You don’t want to over-dilute the lemonade.
Once the simple syrup is done, all of you have to do is add it to your pitcher with the remaining water and lemon juice.
Why make simple syrup?
Why don’t you just add the sugar directly to your pitcher? If you do, the sugar will sink to the bottom of the pitcher and won’t mix well with the lemon juice water. A simply syrup completely dissolves the sugar into the water. This creates a perfectly sweetened lemonade every time!
Since the sourness of lemons varies, I like to start by adding most of the syrup but not all of it. Then I add the lemon juice and 5 cups of water and stir it all together. I taste my final product and make adjustments as needed.
The proportions can vary each time, so I highly recommend tasting and adjusting.
Once your happy with your lemonade, be sure to pop it into the fridge and get it nice and cold before serving.
Hope you enjoy this refreshing drink this summer!
-Cathy
Still have lots of lemons to use? You may also like:
Lemon Ricotta Cake
Lemon Vinaigrette
Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken Thighs
Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks
Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water + 5-6 cups to serve
- 1 1/2 cups lemon juice freshly squeezed (about 6-8 lemons)
- 2 lemons sliced for garnish
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to create a simple syrup. Heat it over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once all of the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- To make the lemonade, add about 1 cup of simple syrup to a pitcher with the lemon juice and about 5 cups of water. Stir to combine and taste. If needed, add more syrup, lemon juice or water to suit your taste preferences. How sour your lemons are will affect the proportion needed.
- Refrigerate. Before serving, add lemon slices to pitcher.
