Homemade Lemonade

Name: Homemade Lemonade
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar; 1 cup (240 ml) water; 3 strips (each about 3 inches / 7 cm long) (3 g) lemon zest strips, removed from washed lemons with a vegetable peeler, yellow part only, no white pith; ⅛ tsp (¾ g) fine salt; 7 lemons (about 1½ cups juice) (360 ml) medium lemons, washed, then rolled firmly on the counter, halved and juiced; strained to remove seeds and pulp; 4 cups (960 ml) cold water; 4 cups (560 g) ice cubes; 1 small lemon (100 g) lemon, washed and cut into thin rounds; 6 sprigs (6 g) fresh mint sprigs, rinsed (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Bright, balanced lemonade made with a quick lemon-zest simple syrup and plenty of fresh juice. It's tart, lightly sweet and easy to adjust to your taste.

Prep: 18 min
Cook: 5 min
Wait: 1 hr 20 min
Total: 1 hr 43 min
Makes: About 7 cups (1.7 liters), serving 6 over ice

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Steps

Before you start

Take the lemons out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead. Room-temperature lemons give up more juice.
You need about 1½ cups (360 ml) of juice. That's usually 6 to 8 medium lemons, depending on how juicy they are.
Allow about 103 minutes in total. Most of that is cooling the syrup and chilling the lemonade.
Clear a spot in the fridge for a 2-quart (2 liter) pitcher.

1
Wash and zest lemons
- Wash all the lemons under warm water and scrub off any wax or residue.
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove 3 strips of yellow zest, each about 3 inches (7 cm) long, from 1 or 2 of the lemons you will be juicing.
- Try to leave the bitter white pith behind.
- Then roll every lemon firmly under your palm on the counter for about 10 seconds to break down the inner membranes.
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Ready when: Lemons feel slightly softer and give a little when squeezed.
Tip: Zest before juicing. A whole lemon is much easier to peel than a squeezed half.
2
Make the syrup
- In the small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1 cup (240 ml) syrup water, zest strips and salt.
- Set over medium heat and stir often for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Bring to a gentle simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
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Ready when: The liquid is clear with no visible sugar crystals on the bottom or sides of the pan when you tilt it.
Tip: Don't boil hard. Too much evaporation makes the syrup too sweet.
3
Steep and cool syrup
- Leave the zest in the syrup and let it stand off the heat for 20 minutes.
- It will cool and pick up lemon oil flavor.
- Lift out and discard the zest strips.
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Ready when: The syrup is lukewarm or cooler and smells strongly of lemon.
Tip: Hot syrup would warm the juice, which dulls its fresh flavor.
4
Juice the lemons
- Cut the rolled lemons in half crosswise and squeeze them with a juicer or reamer over a measuring cup.
- Pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher to catch the seeds and most of the pulp.
- Measure out 1½ cups (360 ml).
- If you're short, juice another lemon.
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Ready when: You have 1½ cups (360 ml) of strained juice in the pitcher.
Tip: Squeeze gently at the end. Pressing the peel hard releases bitter oils.
5
Combine the lemonade
- Pour the cooled syrup into the pitcher with the juice.
- Add 4 cups (960 ml) cold water and stir for 15 seconds with a long spoon.
- Taste a spoonful, ideally over ice, since chilling and dilution soften the flavor.
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Ready when: The color is a uniform pale yellow and the taste is bright with a balanced sweetness.
Tip: For a tarter drink add ½ cup (120 ml) more water. For a sweeter one stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar until it dissolves.
6
Chill the lemonade
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- The flavors blend and the lemonade gets properly cold.
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Ready when: The pitcher feels cold all the way through.
7
Prep the garnish
- While the lemonade chills, cut the small lemon into thin rounds, about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, and discard any seeds.
- Rinse the mint sprigs, if using, and pat them dry.
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Ready when: Lemon rounds are even and seed-free.
8
Stir and serve
- Stir the chilled lemonade well, because the juice settles.
- Fill 6 glasses with about ⅔ cup (about 95 g) of ice each.
- Pour the lemonade over the ice and top each glass with a lemon round and a mint sprig.
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Ready when: Each glass is filled to about ½ inch (1 cm) from the rim and the drink is cold.
Tip: Add ice to the glasses, not the pitcher, so the leftover lemonade stays undiluted.

Good to know

Tips

Roll the lemons before juicing and use them at room temperature for the most juice.
Strain out the seeds, but keep a little pulp if you like a more rustic texture.
Always taste lemonade over ice. It tastes sweeter when warm and less sweet once diluted.
Make a pink version by blending ½ cup (60 g) fresh raspberries or strawberries with the syrup, then straining before mixing.

Make ahead

Make the syrup up to 1 week ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Juice the lemons up to 1 day ahead. Mix the full pitcher up to 2 days ahead and stir before serving.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in a covered pitcher or jar for up to 4 days. The flavor is best in the first 2 days. Stir well before pouring. Not recommended at room temperature for more than 2 hours. To freeze, pour into ice cube trays or freezer containers (leave ½ inch / 1 cm of headspace) for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or use the frozen cubes to chill fresh lemonade without watering it down.

Substitutions

granulated sugar → honey or light agave syrup, ¾ cup (255 g honey). Dissolve it in the syrup water as in the recipe. Honey adds its own flavor and the drink will be slightly sweeter.
medium lemons → Meyer lemons. They are sweeter and less acidic. Reduce the sugar to ¾ cup (150 g) and taste before adding more.
cold water → cold sparkling water. Stir it in just before serving, not before chilling, so the bubbles last.
fresh mint sprigs → fresh basil leaves or raspberries. Both are good garnishes. Gently bruise basil before adding it.