Homemade Lemonade

"Making lenenade, making lenenade, in sunshine or in rain, we're making lenen-ade-ade-ade..." That's what my 3-year-old sings as we make his favorite treat -- homemade lemonade. We make it 1-3 times a week. He likes it that much...


So this is really all about the balance of flavors, and it's hard to say exactly what it's gonna be. It all depends on the flavor of the lemons you have. Some are super sour, some have a rich flavor, some are old/bland. This is my best guess. My secret weapon? If it isn't "lemony" enough, I add a bit of lemon extract.

2 1/2 lemons, squeezed
1/2 - 2/3 c Sugar
2 qt water, divided
Ice

Heat 1 1/2 c water just shy of boiling. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add ice to pitcher and pour sugar water (a.k.a. simple syrup) over ice to chill. Juice lemons and add to pitcher. Fill with cold water and stir. Adjust to taste - more sugar, lemon, lemon extract, or water.

Total Costs: $1.42
Lemons $1.17 (Cashwise)
Sugar $.25 (Sunmart)

Note: It won't have the yellow color that a powder lemonade mix has so don't think that something is wrong.