Quick! Name a food or drink that you associate most with Summer? Anybody say “lemonade”? I know it makes my list! With the perfect parts tangy and sweet, homemade lemonade is so easy and delicious. I make lots of variations of this throughout the Summer, and I’m sharing my favorite with you all today….
What you need:
3/4 c. – 1c. sugar
4c -5 c. water (divided)
1 c. lemon juice (approx. 5 lemons)
mint (optional)
In my opinion, the trick to perfect lemonade is simple syrup. It does add a step (and a pot), but simple syrup is the best way to sweeten cold beverages and avoid undissolved sugar granules in the bottom of your pitcher.
To make simple syrup, add your sugar and 1 c. water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. A lot of recipes call for equal parts sugar and water; I tend to only use 3/4 c. of sugar to 1 c. water. Obviously, adjust to your own tastes:)
Meanwhile, use a juicer to juice your lemons. Add your lemon juice and simple syrup to a pitcher. Then add 3-4 c. cold water and stir. Top with mint leaves, and refrigerate.
Yum.
Maria Norcia Santillanes
Tuesday 12th of June 2012
I love that you use simple syrup. I do too for lemonade and ice tea and other sweet drinks. It just makes it smoother and the sugar doesn't settle at the bottom of the pitcher. I've never added mint to my lemonade recipe which is very similar to yours but I am going to try it. Thanks for the idea! Nice blog ... ~M