The Best Homemade Lemonade

by Dorothy Reinhold on June 21, 2011


Print This Post Print This Post The Best Homemade Lemonade from Shockinglydelicious.com

Celebrate the first day of summer, and the warm days stretching out ahead, with a pitcher of homemade lemonade. Nothing beats it.

This recipe allows you to make a glass at a time, or a whole pitcher, whatever suits your needs.

Speaking of a whole pitcher, if you show this picture to your kids, I’m betting they’ll want to have a lemonade stand. Just sayin’. It’s summer, and they’re out of school. Let’s encourage our future business leaders!

Get them off the backyard tree!

Meyer Lemon on the tree from Shockinglydelicious.comThe growing national movement to “eat locally” doesn’t get much easier than sauntering out to the back yard, picking a few lemons off the tree, and bringing them back into the kitchen.

If you don’t have a tree yourself, I’ll bet your neighbor does. Walk next door and beg a little. Go ahead…we’ll wait.

Back with your lemons, now simply squeeze them, add some sugar and water, and you have a simple lemonade syrup. Cooking is not rocket science! You can do it!

Make a glass of lemonade, make a pitcher of it – the choice is yours. Put the syrup in a glass jar, label it, and it keeps well for a few days or a week in the refrigerator, at your beck and call.

As summer unfolds with its possibilities – and heat! – I encourage you to use what you have.

If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!

Recipe: Dorothy’s Lemonade Concentrate

If you have my favorite variety, Meyer lemons, use them. Meyers have a slightly less tart, floral quality that is addictive!

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • 1 cup sugar

In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, put 1 cup water and then add lemon juice up to the 2-cup mark. Add sugar and stir well to dissolve. Store in a jar or closed container in the refrigerator, or freeze for longer storage.

To make a glass of lemonade:

Use 1/3 cup concentrate and 2/3 cup water, over ice.

To make and use the entire recipe at once:

Add all of concentrate (about 2 1/3 cups) to a 2-quart pitcher. Add 4 2/3 cups water, stir well, and serve in individual glasses, over ice.

Advice:

Taste and adjust to your liking — add a snitch more sugar if you need it (lemons have different levels of tart), or add a little more water if it seems too strong to you. Remember that the ice in the glass will dilute it slightly.

Looking for more lemonade options?

Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Blackberry Lemonade
Agua Fresca Watermelon Lemonade

The Best Homemade Lemonade from Shockinglydelicious.com

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Carol Larkin February 5, 2012 at 9:17 am

I also have a love affair with the Meyer Lemon! My dwarf would produce BAGS of lemons and I would pick them all, Juice them and pour the juice into the old fashion ice cube trays. Freeze, then drop into Ziplock freezer bags and date. Easy lemonade, a cube or 2 depending of the size of your tumbler, Stevia or whatever (makes it LOW in calories), water and ice. WALA! Healthy, instant lemonade. The cubes will last a very long time and can be used for many things. Picking those lemons will create an even greater production.

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Deborah Dowd June 22, 2011 at 7:02 pm

There is nothing like a cold glass of lemonade when the hot and muggy part of summer hits!

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Rebecca Turrigiano June 21, 2011 at 11:41 am

Fresh juice is so unspeakably delicious and great to use in cocktails too 🙂

Reply

Dorothy June 21, 2011 at 11:56 am

Rebecca,
Agreed!

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Paula @ Cookware Cooking June 21, 2011 at 10:43 am

Lemonade is the best thirst quencher ever when it heats up. Thanks for the reminder to go pick some lemons!

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