A small effort for a refreshing taste of old-fashioned summertime. Taste preferences vary with lemonade, so I’m including a few variations here – experiment to see what works best for you. Use fresh-squeezed lemons or good-quality lemon juice.
Ingredient measurements are based on a 2-quart/liter container, which is 8 cups.
Light and sweet (kids version; most similar to commercial lemonades)
- 1/2-3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- Water to mix
- Ice to fill
- Fresh mint
Tart and sweet
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- Water to mix
- Ice to fill
- Fresh mint
Tart
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Water to mix
- Ice to fill
- Fresh mint
Directions
- Add lemon juice and sugar to a 2-liter pitcher. Fill with water to 1/3 or 1/2 the container. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Add ice to fill.
- Serve over ice, with mint sprigs as desired.
Notes
- I find the sugar dissolves well enough as long as the water isn’t too cold. But the best method to ensure that the sugar mixes in completely is to make a simple syrup first. If you have time, heat sugar with the same amount of water, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let cool before adding to the lemonade.
- Costco sells a fantastic organic Sicilian lemon juice – 1 liter in a green glass bottle for $4. It’s a great deal.
- For a more pronounced mint flavor, add a generous amount of mint leaves with the lemon juice and sugar. Use a wooden spoon or muddler to crush the leaves as you mix. Then add water to mix and ice to fill as directed.
- Lemonade mixed in the blender with mint or fruit and a bit of extra ice is a nice variation. Strawberry lemonade is a particular favorite in my house. You may need a bit of extra sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
