Thursday, June 21, 2012

Homemade Luscious Lemonade To Beat The Heat



Today is the first full day of summer. The heat descended on this town early this year and had us reaching for a thirst-quenching drink to share as we lounged on the the patio.

Over the past few months we have squeezed many lemons and tried a number of versions of easy-to-make lemonade.

We have settled on this very simple recipe that balances the zing of a freshly squeezed lemony taste with a hint of sweetness to eventually give ease to your pucker.



Simple Homemade Luscious Lemonade

Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

1 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, with pulp
4 cups of ice water

Garnish (optional):
thin slices of lemon
raspberries

To make the simple syrup, combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium to medium-low heat. Do not stir. Let the mixture boil slowly for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To juice the lemons, make sure they are at room temperature. Before you squeeze them, wash them in a hot water bath. This helps to bring out the juice when squeezing. You will typically use 5 to 6 lemons. Preserve as much of the pulp as you can.

To make 'ice cold water', fill your 4-cup measuring cup with 2 to 3 cups of ice cubes. Then fill up the measure with cold water to the 4-cup line. That way your ice cubes won't water down the lemonade too much. You do want it to smack!

Combine the juice, ice cold water and simple syrup in a beautiful glass pitcher. Include thin slices of lemons when you serve. Let the ice melt out a bit before serving. A few raspberries can be a nice treasure to discover at the bottom of your glass!

6 comments:

  1. Going to give it a go! Thirst quenching is what we all need today. Deborah

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    Replies
    1. Hi Deborah: I hope you had a chance to make the lemonade. I am ready to give it yet another go as it is another lemonade-y day here in Ottawa. I like this recipe for its simplicity and knowing it will appeal to all.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Definitely the next cold and refreshing drink I'll make next time it is warm and sunny outside (yes...these days are rainy in Quebec!)

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  3. Replies
    1. Pearl, love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try.

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