Homemade Lemonade

This simple and delicious homemade lemonade is a perfect refreshment. Enjoy it with or without berries added for even more amazing flavor.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Cocktails

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 4

Total Time: 9

Servings: servings

Calories: 42kcal

Author: Michelle

In a small saucepan, add the brown sugar and one cup of water. Stir to dissolve.
1/3 cup brown sugar, 6 cups water
Turn the heat to medium and bring this to a boil. Stir gently from time to time. After it's boiled for a minute or two, turn off the heat and let the simple syrup come to room temperature.
While the simple syrup is cooling, prepare your lemons. Cut them in half lengthwise (leaving the pointy ends intact) and squeeze out the juice into a liquid measuring cup to ensure you get one cup of juice.
1 cup lemon juice
Once the simple syrup has cooled, add the lemon juice to it and stir. Pour this into a pitcher and add another 3 cups of water. Taste test it and see if it's still too strong or the perfect taste for you. I usually add between 4 and 5 cups of water. Place it in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
If you want a berry flavored lemonade, place about an eighth of a cup of fruit into a tall glass. If you're using frozen fruit, be sure you've thawed it first. If you're using fresh fruit, wash it and remove any stems or leaves you need to, then cut it into large chunks. Using a wooden spoon, muddle the fruit in the bottom of the glass.
berries
Add ice cubes, then pour your lemonade on top. Feel free to use the wooden spoon to stir it one last time to get the fruit distributed both over and under the ice.

You can use white sugar, but increase it to 1/2 cup. If you like your lemonade sweeter, you can use 3/4 cup brown sugar and up to 1 cup white sugar. When you use the berries, however, keep in mind that they add their own natural sweetness, too.
To extract as much juice as possible from the lemons, roll them on your counter while pressing on them using your palm to break apart some of the membranes inside.
For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.