Lemonade from Lemons at Home

Instructions

1. Lay out every ingredient before starting the lemonade. Wash the lemons and the orange under cool running water and pat both dry with a clean kitchen towel.

   

2. Grate the zest of one lemon into a deep mixing bowl using a fine grater (a microplane works perfectly). Grate only the bright yellow surface of the peel; avoid the white pith underneath because the bitter pith can ruin the finished lemonade with off-flavors.

   

3. Using the same fine grater, grate the zest of half an orange into the bowl with the lemon zest. The orange skin contains the same bitter pith problem as the lemon; grate carefully to extract only the bright orange surface oils without any of the white layer underneath.

   

4. Add the one hundred and fifty grams of sugar to the bowl with the citrus zests. The combination of sugar and zest extracts maximum citrus oil from the peel, which infuses the finished lemonade with bright aromatic flavor that bottled lemon products can never match.

   

5. Pour in one hundred and fifty millilitres of warm water at about forty to forty-five degrees Celsius. Stir thoroughly until the sugar dissolves completely into the warm liquid; warm water dissolves sugar much faster than cold water and ensures no gritty undissolved crystals remain in the finished drink.

   

6. Squeeze the juice of half an orange into the resulting sugar-zest syrup using whatever juicing method works best in your kitchen. If a few orange seeds drop into the citrus concentrate, do not bother removing them now; the final straining step catches any seeds.

   

7. Squeeze the juice of two whole lemons into the same syrup. The strong lemon flavor is the dominant note in the finished lemonade, with the orange providing complementary depth and the zest providing aromatic complexity that the juice alone could never deliver.

   

8. Pour the two litres of cold water into the resulting concentrate and stir everything together. The lemonade can be strained and consumed immediately, but for the brightest finished flavor, let the mixture rest for a few hours in the refrigerator before the final straining step.

   

9. Strain the diluted lemonade through a fine sieve or several layers of cheesecloth to remove the seeds, the zest particles, and any pulp pieces that would otherwise float in the finished drink. The straining produces the cleanest most professional-looking lemonade.

   

10. The homemade lemonade from lemons is ready to serve. Pour into tall chilled glasses with plenty of ice and fresh mint leaves for garnish. The bright citrus flavor, the touch of orange complexity, and the cooling mint produce the most refreshing summer drink you can make at home. Bon appetit on hot summer afternoons.

    

Tips

• 1

  Use organic unwaxed lemons and oranges whenever possible because the recipe calls for the zest. Conventional citrus is often coated with food-grade wax that contains trace pesticides; even thorough washing cannot remove all the residue. Organic citrus produces the cleanest brightest finished flavor and avoids any chemistry concerns about consuming the peel oils. The price premium for organic citrus pays off generously in the finished drink character.

• 2

  Let the citrus reach room temperature before juicing for maximum yield. Cold lemons and oranges straight from the refrigerator release significantly less juice than room-temperature fruit. Roll each lemon and orange firmly under your palm against the counter for thirty seconds before cutting; the rolling breaks the internal cell walls and increases juice yield by twenty to thirty percent. Pair the finished lemonade with the unexpected Cucumber Lemonade at Home for a creative drink-tasting flight.

• 3

  Add fresh herbs beyond mint to vary the lemonade character. Basil produces a sophisticated cocktail-style version. Fresh thyme adds an unexpected savory note. Rosemary brings a piney aromatic depth. Cucumber slices add cooling freshness. Strawberry slices contribute pink color and gentle sweetness. Whatever herbs or extras you add, drop them into the glass right before serving rather than into the bulk lemonade so the flavors stay vibrant rather than fading during storage.

• 4

  Make a big batch ahead of time for entertaining and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. The lemonade actually develops deeper more harmonized flavor after one day of resting in the refrigerator. Stir before each serving to redistribute any sediment that has settled at the bottom. For a sparkling version, replace half the cold water with chilled sparkling water added just before serving to preserve the bubbles. Pair with the related Red Currant Compote with Mint for Winter.

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