Lemonade Recipe
Squeezing the life out of lemons never tasted so damn Wonderful…
Fresh homemade lemonade only calls for three ingredients– freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar, and water.
It is important to use the right ratio of lemon juice, sugar, and water. For me the perfect ratio is 4 – 1 – 4 (4 lemons, 1 cups sugar, 4 cups water). As written, this lemonade has the perfect amount of sweetness for me, sometimes I can do a little less like 3/4 of a cup for ever 4 lemons and 4 cups of water but you can play around with it. If you prefer less sweet or slightly bitter lemonade, it’s best to adjust the water quantity to your preference. But I think this recipe is a nice goldilocks lemonade, not to sweet, not too sour, just right! Here are the steps you need to follow to create this magical drink:
Thoroughly wash the lemons with soap and warm water, especially if you are mashing them whole with the skin.
Roll each lemon with the palm of your hand, pressing down as you do.
Cut the lemons into slices and add them to a large mixing bowl.
Add sweetener and mash the lemons for a couple of minutes until the lemon juices and the sweetener blend together.
Strain the liquid (2 cups), and add 8 cups of water to a glass pitcher.
Some of my tips:
I use freshly squeezed lemon juice from real lemons, not store bought bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t taste as good as lemon juice from fresh lemons. It usually has some things added to it and the flavor is not quite right. It’s definitely better to make your homemade lemonade with real lemons. Plus I can’t help but think it makes it a little healthier because it is not processed!
When purchasing lemons, choose large ones that give to gentle pressure; avoid lemons that still have some green spots. Hard lemons have thicker skin and yield less juice.
Also, if possible use Meyer lemons – they are sweeter and juicier than other lemon varieties. They make an amazing lemonade with delicious sweet flavor. They are usually in season in the winter and spring months.
To extract the most lemon juice, before you cut them, roll each lemon over your cutting board with the palm of your hand, pressing down as you do. This will help them to release their juice.
For a fuller, more complex lemon flavor, macerate lemon slices with the sugar in a bowl and store them in the fridge for about 30 minutes if possible. Mashing the lemon slices with sugar (or your choice of sweetener) helps to extract the oils in the lemon peel and adds more of the fragrant citrus flavor.
Kind of a quirky thing, but I love to take the lemon after it has been squeezed of all its juices and rub the pulp stuff on my wrist. It smells like a perfume and I think it is beautiful.
