Ahh, the dog days of summer…the sun is blazing, the sprinklers are sprinkling, and the kids don’t have a care in the world. A cold and icy glass of lemonade comes to mind. And I don’t mean the store-bought, fructose-laden, preservative-filled, sickeningly sweet, syrupy, neon yellow lemonade. I’m talking real lemonade! Make it from scratch. All you need are lemons, sugar, water and ice!
Joe, Heather and I were shooting at my house one summer day. I made a fresh batch of lemonade. We all agreed to take advantage of the beautiful perennials in my backyard and use them as a backdrop to shoot it. It was a great day. And afterwards, we all sat on my deck and relaxed with refreshing glass of lemonade.
Here is my recipe. You can control the sweetness, and you will not believe how much better it is than anything you can buy. Add a sprig of mint from your garden and you are good to go!!!
as photographed by our team, à la Carte Partners
Cathy’s Fresh Lemonade
Makes about 7 cups
7 lemons
1 cup sugar
6 cups cold water
ice
fresh mint
– Cut 6 lemons in half and squeeze out juice to make about 1 cup of juice. Remove any seeds.
– Pour fresh lemon juice and sugar into a large pitcher, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add water, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
– Just before serving, slice remaining lemon. Add to pitcher with ice and mint.
Tips
– To maximize the amount of juice you get from a lemon, roll the lemon firmly on counter top before cutting in half .
– Avoid using bottled lemon juice. The flavor will just not be the same.
– Adjust the sugar to your palate.
– Adding fresh fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries, will add another whole dimension to your lemonade!
– For an adult version, try adding a splash of flavored vodka!!
Cathy
Just tried the lemonade…it’s great…
Yum!! Lenonade is one of my favorite drinks since I don;t like tea, coffee or soda. I’m glad to have your recipe, Cathy
Looks yummy, I’m going to make some as soon as it gets sunny again here!
Valerie
Thank you, Valerie… love your poetry !
Yum! This sounds delicious, i think i’ll go over to Costco and get a bag of lemons and try it this weekend!
sounds fantastic – will do it today. I like the rolling of the lemon trick. Love the photograph!
Thanks, Francis… enjoy !