Lemonade, a cool, refreshing summer staple from coast to coast, doesn’t have to be boring. We’ve found five fabulous lemonade recipes we just had to share with you in honor of National Lemonade Day (May 7th), before those sultry, sizzling summer days are upon us.
- com calls this the “Best Lemonade Ever Recipe”. It did get a 5-star rating from over 3,000 people who tried it, and a lot of great reviews. We’ll let you decide (but it sounds pretty good to us). With just three ingredients and super simple instructions, it’s certainly worth investigating.
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1-1/2 cups lemon juice
Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature and cover. Refrigerate until chilled. Remove seeds from lemon juice but leave pulp. Stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice, and remaining 7 cups of water in a glass or plastic pitcher of your choice. Serve with a smile!
- The Food Network calls this entry “Almost Famous Strawberry Lemonade”. We like the twist of adding strawberry to this classic drink, and thought you would like it, too. This one has a few more steps, but we think you’ll agree the end result is worth the extra work.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, in wide strips
2 cups chopped, hulled strawberries
2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 10 large lemons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Make the lemon syrup: Bring the lemon zest, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves; let cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the strawberry syrup: Toss the strawberries and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl and let sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes. Strain the strawberry mixture; reserve the strawberry syrup and berries separately.
Make the lemonade: Combine the lemon juice, lemon syrup, salt and 2 cups cold water in a pitcher. For each drink, put about 1 tablespoon of the strawberry syrup in a tall glass. Fill with ice, then top with the lemonade and some of the reserved strawberries.
Martha Stewart offers up this tantalizing recipe for Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade, along with an “adult” version. Wait, did Martha really recommend store-bought lemonade for this recipe? She did!
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 pint (about 2 cups) raspberries, plus more for garnish
4 cups water
Classic Homemade Lemonade, or 1 quart store-bought lemonade
1 bottle sparkling water (750 milliliters)
For adult version: 2 cups vodka
Directions:
Bring water, raspberries, and sugar to boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing gently on berries to release juices; discard solids. Let syrup cool completely. Combine syrup and lemonade in a large pitcher. Divide among 16 ice-filled glasses. Top each with sparkling water, and vodka if using. Garnish with fresh raspberries.
- Jay Kordich, known as The “Father of Juicing” and producer of the Juiceman Juicer, claims we don’t have a concept of how a glass of lemonade is supposed to taste, and says his recipe will produce the healthiest glass of lemonade with just two ingredients. Of course, you will need a juicer to concoct this sugarless version of the classic summertime thirst quencher.
Ingredients:
1/4 lemon (skin and all)
2 to 4 apples
Directions:
Place ingredients in juicer, and juice!
This final recipe is thanks to Iron Chef winner Alex Guarnashellik, who devised this special recipe for charity. It deviates just a tad from the “normal” list of ingredients by adding lemon-lime soda, but we forgive him. After all, he did it for charity!
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (yes, you read that right!)
1 lemon and 1 lime, both sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
1 cup chilled lemon-lime soda
Directions:
In a large container, combine lemon juice, honey, and lime juice. Cover and shake to blend. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Fill a pitcher with ice cubes, lemon, and lime slices. Stir to blend while pouring in lemon-lime soda. Use a long-handled spoon to reach the bottom of the pitcher and ensure all of the ingredients are blended together. Serve immediately.
From strawberries to black pepper, lemon-lime soda to vodka, these five lemonade recipes have taken a definitive summertime drink and made it deliciously special. We hope you enjoy trying these twists on a classic; maybe you’ll discover a new family favorite, or be inspired to create a new recipe of your very own.
