Sparkling Lemonade
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Juice of five large lemons
- 1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup Truvia sugar substitute)
- 3 liters of sparkling mineral water (the Whole Foods Italian sparkling mineral water yields the fizziest, bubbliest lemonade)
- Slices of lemon for garnish
- Ice
Directions
- Squeeze the juice of four lemons, separating out seeds, and place in a large pitcher that has been pre-cooled in the refrigerator (this will make the pitcher even more frosty-looking, and keep the lemonade cooler longer).
- Add one cup of sugar and three one-liter bottles of sparkling mineral water, adding the sparkling water last (that is what makes it particularly fizzy).
- Stir until sugar is dissolved. Garnish with lemons and serve over plenty of ice.
- I have lately been using several round ice cube molds to create one large, spherical ice cube, which I think looks more festive (and I used one on the top of the bottle so you can see exactly how they look. The molds are also an Amazon purchase, available here.
Pomegranate Lemonade
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- Juice of five large lemons
- 1 cup sugar (or ½ cup Truvia sugar substitute)
- 3 quarts water
- 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
- Ice
Directions
- In a large pitcher, pour lemon juice, sugar and water.
- Set aside about one quarter of the pomegranate seeds for garnish, and crush the rest in a blender or food processor.
- Strain any excess pulp from the crushed seeds and pour into lemonade.
- Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Drop remaining unblended pomegranate seeds into pitcher.
- Pour over glass of ice and serve.
Lavender Lemonade
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- Juice of five large lemons
- 3 quarts water
- 1 cup of sugar (or ½ cup Truvia sugar substitute)
- 2 teaspoons lavender extract
- Fresh lavender, tied in a bunch, and individual lavender sprigs for garnish
Directions
- In a large pre-chilled pitcher, pour in the lemon juice, water, sugar, and lavender extract.
- Stir well until sugar is dissolved.
- Take a small bunch of fresh lavender and tie together with a bit of kitchen string, and drop into the lemonade.
- Add ice on top of lavender bundle to keep it from floating to the top.
- The taste of lavender is more pleasing to some than others.
- If you really like it, you may want to add more lavender extract to the lemonade; it’s a matter of personal preference.
- Serve.
Note: Lavender extract is not the same as lavender essence. The extract is edible; the essence is for external use only. You can find the extract in cooking stores and in the baking section of the grocery store.
