Lemonade

Whether clear, cloudy, or fizzy,

Lemonade means summer.

And what better way to enjoy Lemonade than to make it yourself.

Yes, yes, we all have our own childhood recipe from when we tried to become the next Nelson Rockefeller by setting up our own Lemonade stand on the street corner selling our liquid gold before the board of health got wise because we didn't have a food handling certificate or the police department came by and shut us down because we did not have a street vendor licence. At least thats how things work here in New York City, anyways.

Summertime Lemonade

The key thing when making Lemonade, aside from the lemons, is the sugar. Personally, the best and most foolproof way to mix this is by using a simple syrup. This allows you to very accurately judge how sweet or tart you would like your Lemonade and to adjust for variables in the quality of your lemons.

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup of Caster (White) Sugar (this can be reduced to 3/4 cup depending on your taste) 
• 1 cup of Water (for the simple syrup) 
• 1 cup of fresh Lemon Juice (DO NOT use that stuff in the green plastic bottle shaped like a lemon! Use the real deal here.)
• 3 to 4 cups of cold Water (to dilute) 

TECHNIQUE 

Start by making a simple syrup. Heat the Sugar and the one (1) cup of Water in a small saucepan on low heat until the Sugar is dissolved completely. 

While the Sugar is dissolving, use a juicer or a fork to extract the juice from about four (4) to six (6) Lemons, or enough for about one (1) cup of juice. 

Add the juice and the sugar syrup to a pitcher. Add three (3) to four (4) cups of Cold Water, more or less, to mix it to your desired taste and strength.

Refrigerate for thirty (30) to forty (40) minutes.

NOTE : If the Lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it to tart it up.

Serve with ice and additional sliced Lemons for garnish.

Happy National Lemonade Day, Y'all!

©2011 Wait At The Bar