Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

all photography, Blue Caleel

Slice one lemon into rounds and place in a large pitcher with two quarts of ice.

Add two cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice, two cups of simple syrup, and 

four cups of cold water.  

Stir well

Fill a glass with ice and a lemon slice, and then pour.

The best!

One of the most refreshing drinks on the planet is lemonade made with real lemons.  It takes only a few minutes to squeeze the lemons, and with my super quick method for simple syrup, you can basically put the whole thing together in 15 minutes or less.  

I only measured for the purpose of this recipe.  Usually, I just throw everything in and taste it and add more lemon juice if I want it to be more tart, or add more simple syrup if I want it to be sweeter.

If you are making this in advance, just combine the lemon juice, simple syrup, and water, and wait to add the ice until just before serving.

I realized that a lot of people have smaller pitchers than I do, so I made both a small batch and a large batch version.  The directions for both are the same.

FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMONADE

LARGE PITCHER Makes 3 quarts (12 cups)

2 quarts ice

2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice  (I can't really say how many lemons this is because some lemons are small, some lemons are larger, some lemons are extra juicy.  Start with 6 lemons and squeeze until you have two cups.  I use an electric juicer, but you can also use a fork or hand-juicer.)

2 cups simple syrup

4 cups cold water 

1 lemon, sliced (for garnish in pitcher and one slice for each serving glass)

SMALL PITCHER Makes 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups)

1 quart ice

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice  (I can't really say how many lemons this is because some lemons are small, some lemons are larger, some lemons are extra juicy.  Start with 3 lemons and squeeze until you have one cup of juice.)

2 cups simple syrup

4 cups cold water 

1 lemon, sliced (for garnish in pitcher and one slice for each serving glass)

Slice 1 lemon and place in a pitcher.  Place ice over the lemon.

Pour in lemon juice.  Pour in simple syrup.  Add water and still well.

Fill glasses with ice and a lemon slice. Pour the lemonade over the ice.  Serve immediately.