August 18th, 2011

How to Make Sparkling Summer Lemonade

For some reason I’m working on the recipe posts instead of the party recap (greek(ish) potato salad over a Soup Or Salad today), but really without great pictures a party recap isn’t very fun. And my photos? Not so awesome. We normally serve beer, wine and water at parties with something fun for the kids. Last year I made ginger lemonade by simmering fresh ginger in lemon juice and adding it to store bought lemonade. This year, what with having an overabundant lemon tree in the back yard, I thought I would take a crack at homemade lemonade, which despite my advanced age, I had never attempted.

I decided to juice lemons and make simple syrup and wing it. The limiting factor in my recipe was the lemon juice. I hate my juicer. Hate it. I only juiced 4 cups of lemon juice before I wanted to throw it out the window. I also didn’t count the lemons. 4 cups took maybe 20 lemons. But 4 cups makes a lot of lemonade. If you just want to make a little to drink in the afternoon, juice 3 lemons and just use the ratio.

 Serving suggestions: in glasses or mason jars, by the pitcher or the bucket. Add frozen sliced lemons, ice or frozen lemonade to keep it cold when serving in bulk. A fun trick is to slice a lemon and poke a straw through it. Or, thread a straw through a lemon and then freeze to keep the drink cold and look cute at the same time. (Also a great idea for sangria. Maybe with oranges.)

Sparkling Summer Lemonade
makes 5 quarts

4 cups sugar
4 cups water
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 cups sparkling water (mineral, plain or club soda works just fine)

1. Make simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring periodically until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool and set aside. (This can be done the night before and kept the fridge in a clean container with a lid. Any extra will keep for about a week. You can use it to sweeten tea or coffee or just give it to visiting neighbor children and send them home.)
2. Juice lemons (I recommend an electric juicer. Just not the crappy one I have)
3. In serving container or pitcher, combine lemon juice, simple syrup and sparkling water in the ratio of 1:1:3. So, for 4 cups of lemon juice, add 4 cups of simple syrup and 12 cups of sparkling water.
4. Add ice and/or frozen sliced lemons and serve.
5. If you just want to prep all the ingredients in advance and make it by the glass, I’ve found a shot glass or jigger works well. Just do 1:1:3 over ice. Delicious.