Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day, than an ice-cold glass of lemonade. Especially if that lemonade is homemade!

I remember when I was a child setting up a lemonade stand in our tiny little neighborhood, hoping to earn a few cents. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, my pockets were basically empty, as I ended up drinking more lemonade than I ever sold. 

Then as a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of those “Lemon Shake Up” drinks at the local fair.  Who could resist the ice-cold drink while walking around the fairgrounds? And I will never forget searching for the closest sink to wash my sticky hands when I was finished. 

As an adult, I only hoped that my children would love fresh squeezed lemonade as much as I did. And as easy as it was to pour a few scoops of lemonade powder into a pitcher of water, there was nothing like the taste of homemade lemonade!  

Below is the classic recipe for homemade lemonade that I have been making for decades. You can lessen the sugar if you desire, or use sugar substitutes if needed. We will sometimes even add in a few limes or spruce it up with a garnish of mint.  

However you choose to make  your lemonade, I hope that it brings back some terrific memories of years gone by. 

Homemade Lemonade Recipe

*makes approximately 2 quarts 

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups white sugar

8 cups water

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

3. Juice lemons until you get 1 ½ cups of juice. Using a strainer, remove the seeds from lemon juice, leaving any remaining pulp.

4. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

5. Refrigerate immediately or serve in a glass over ice.

**Optional: Add a few slices of lemons into each glass or garnish with mint

Check out our other beverage recipes – OWG Beverage Page

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

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