Made with only three ingredients, this recipe will create the perfect pitcher of sweet lemonade. With freshly squeezed lemon juice and sweet lemon syrup, there is nothing more refreshing than an ice cold glass of old fashioned lemonade on a hot summer day.
Love lemonade? Me, too! Give my favorite strawberry lemonade recipe a try, or summertime watermelon lemonade, sparkling strawberry ginger lemonade, or sweet Arnold Palmer drink.
Sweet, Fresh Squeezed Old Fashioned Lemonade
If you've been to a southern woman's house and she's never offered you a cold glass of lemonade or sweet tea on a hot day, she doesn't like you. Just kidding (maybe).
I've always told y'all there's a pitcher of sweet tea or lemonade in my fridge at all times, and I meant it. But it isn't enough to just have a pitcher of lemonade in your fridge for any guest to arrive on a lazy summer afternoon, it has to be made right.
I've had far too many glasses of lemonade where my throat was burning, it left an acrid taste, and it made me want nothing more than a cup of water to wash the taste out. Refreshing? I think not!
And I know you've had that experience, too. So this step-by-step post and recipe is here to teach you how to make a lemonade that is the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
Tangy, sweet, light, and refreshing, with good lemony flavor that doesn't taste watered down... it's the perfect pitcher of homemade lemonade. And we're making it now!
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Jump to:
- Sweet, Fresh Squeezed Old Fashioned LemonadeÂ
- Why this is the Best Homemade Old Fashioned Lemonade
- History of Lemonade
- Equipment
- Why Lemonade Syrup Makes the Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe
- Old Fashioned Lemonade Ingredients
- How to Make Homemade Lemonade from Scratch
- Variations and Substitutions
- Pro Tips
- Storage Instructions
- FAQs
- Thirsty? Here are more refreshing summer drinks!
- Old Fashioned Lemonade
Why this is the Best Homemade Old Fashioned Lemonade
- Made with real lemons - not frozen lemonade concentrate, not bottled lemon juice. We have real deal from-scratch fresh lemonade here for the best flavor to quench your thirst.
- Full of actual lemon flavor - the juice of the lemon has that tangy, sour power; but the real lemon flavor comes the oils from the lemon peels. So we pull the flavor out into the lemonade simple syrup.
- My favorite base for any flavored lemonade - if you ever noticed your favorite strawberry lemonade no longer has any type of lemonade flavor, it's because your lemonade just can't keep up! It's okay, we have a heavy hitter winner in this recipe.
History of Lemonade
The first written record of ancient lemonade was in 13th century Egypt with recipe for a drink calling for dates, lemon juice and honey called qatarmizat.
Modern lemonade gained popularity in 17th century France with vendors from Compagnie de Limonadiers, who wore tanks full of carbonated lemonade on their backs and sold cups of it throughout Paris.
This became popular throughout Europe and when Joseph Schweppe created an efficient way to mass produce carbonated water, the small lemonade stand businesses across the continent were basically wiped out.
European immigrants brought lemonade to the United States with them, where it was pushed into mainstream...popularity?...when it was strongly marketed during temperance, when women were pushing for the ban of alcohol. This American version did not used carbonated water, flat still water only!
Ever since it's been marketed as a slice of idealistic Americana, with children creating lemonade stands in the suburbs and cities during the summer to stave off the heat.
Equipment
Vegetable Peeler
A Large Pitcher
Saucepan
A citrus juicer
Why Lemonade Syrup Makes the Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Many times you'll have a cup of lemonade and it's just not sweet nor flavorful enough. So you follow the directions to stir and stir until sugar dissolves into a sweetened lemonade...but it never does.
Why?
Chemistry.
Water can only absorb so much of a soluble, or in this case, sugar. But when it's hot, it can absorb way more of the soluble than it can when cold.
So adding straight sugar to iced water will only dissolve some of the sugar the recipe calls for.
This is where the simple syrup comes in. Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but it is holding all the sugar you need. This recipe is specifically using lemon flavored syrup, which is just from the lemon peels themselves.
Old Fashioned Lemonade Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You'd think that if we're making a sugar syrup and all, it'd be a whole laundry list. But nope, all you need are 3 simple ingredients.
- Fresh Lemons - our lemons are doing a lot of heavy lifting today! We're juicing about a cup of lemon juice, zesting a bunch of lemons, and really just enjoying every aspect of the fruit.
- Granulated Sugar.
- Water - we want plenty of cold water for both the drink and the syrup.
How to Make Homemade Lemonade from Scratch
Step 1 | Make a simple syrup flavored with those lemon peels. Combine sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat with the lemon peel. Let that come to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and your simple syrup starts to get the yellow color of the lemon peels.
Take it off the heat and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes in a heat-safe container. This can also be made up to a week ahead of time if needed, just store it in the refrigerator covered.
Step 2 | Add the fresh lemon juice and water to your pitcher with ice and stir well. Then add the simple syrup, stirring well and tasting to find your ideal sweetness.
Variations and Substitutions
- Try making raspberry lemonade with a raspberry simple syrup that's just as easy to make as my strawberry simple syrup.
- Garnish with lemon slices, fresh mint leaves, or fresh basil leaves for easy and delicious flavors.
- Add fresh or dried lavender into your simple syrup for a lovely, floral lavender lemonade!
Pro Tips
- Juicing the lemons - speed up the process with an electric citrus juicer if you're not into squeezing by
- Roll the lemons - want to get the most juice for your buck? Aggressively roll your lemons. Roll them with your hands, under a pan, anything. It breaks up the cells in the lemon so you easily squeeze juice right out!
- Be wary of large lemons - I know you'd think large lemons equal more flesh and juice...but oftentimes they have a thick pith instead. Sneaky...
- Speaking of pith, when you use the vegetable peeler try to get as little of the bitter white pith under the yellow skin as possible. It does not taste good!
- Throw your fresh squeezed lemons into your garbage disposal or compost after you make lemonade so there is no waste. Lemons help clean your garbage disposal!
- Instead of sugar, use honey for a truly old-fashioned homemade lemonade.
Storage Instructions
Store the lemonade in your fridge, covered, for up to a week.
FAQs
American lemonade is what the Brits consider 'cloudy lemonade'. It's made with still, flat water and lemon juice. While British lemonade is carbonated and fizzy, made with lemon flavor instead of juice.
Can you? Yes; do I recommend it? No. Lemon juice goes bad quickly, so bottled lemon juice is filled with preservatives and is pasteurized and makes it taste different and much more sour.
This recipe for lemonade is not healthy, as it is made with a simple syrup, though lemons have healthy attributes like vitamin c and helps aid digestion. You can make it healthier by swapping the sugar with agave nectar, honey, or monkfruit.
Thirsty? Here are more refreshing summer drinks!
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Old Fashioned Lemonade
Ingredients
Lemonade Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Peel of 3 washed lemons, in strips
Lemonade
- 1 ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup lemonade simple syrup
- 6 cups cold water
- Ice
- Lemon slices, mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Lemonade Simple Syrup
- In a medium sized saucepan, heat sugar, 2 cups water and zest over medium heat. Bring to a lively simmer, not a boil, for about 8-10 minutes or until the syrup becomes a light yellow color from the zest. Turn off heat and let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the lemonade.
- In a large pitcher, add the lemon juice. Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve into the pitcher to catch zest. Pour the water into the pitcher. Taste for sweetness and tartness. Too sweet, add water. Not enough tartness, juice another lemon.
- Fill the rest of the pitcher with ice and chill until ready to serve or serve immediately with ice.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This recipe is easily doubled to make a gallon of lemonade!
- Juicing the lemons - speed up the process with an electric citrus juicer if you're not into squeezing by
- Roll the lemons - want to get the most juice for your buck? Aggressively roll your lemons. Roll them with your hands, under a pan, anything. It breaks up the cells in the lemon so you easily squeeze juice right out!
- Be wary of large lemons - I know you'd think large lemons equal more flesh and juice...but oftentimes they have a thick pith instead. Sneaky...
- Speaking of pith, when you use the vegetable peeler try to get as little of the bitter white pith under the yellow skin as possible. It does not taste good!
- Throw your fresh squeezed lemons into your garbage disposal or compost after you make lemonade so there is no waste. Lemons help clean your garbage disposal!
- Instead of sugar, use honey for a truly old-fashioned homemade lemonade.
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