Refreshing Homemade Lemonade

Want to make this delicious, refreshing drink from just 3 ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen? 

I stumbled upon this recipe on food.com because I couldn't be bothered to walk to the store to buy some lemonade, and it's a healthier alternative to the store bought version anyway! Last week, I bought 15 lemons (don't ask), and I'd only used 3 of them until today. So, instead of spending money on lemonade (which has loads of sugars in it), I decided to make my own! It is perfect for the current beautiful weather, bbq weekend with your friends and family, and it's super easy to make,you'll want to do this all the time!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar (original recipe said 1, I reduced it so it's healthier. Can substitute with honey too)

1 cup water

6 lemons

3 cups cold water

strawberries, limes and mint (optional garnish)

To get the most juice out of my lemons, I soaked them in hot water for 2 minutes, then rolled them before slicing. The juice just came out so easily with minimal effort.

Method:

1. Pour the sugar and 1 cup water into a saucepan and boil until sugar has completely dissolved and you're left with a syrup.
2. Squeeze lemon juice into a cup, 6 lemons should get you a full cup of juice
3. Pour the sugar syrup into a carafe or jug, and add the lemon juice
4. Pour the 3 cups of water, mix and refrigerate for about 1 hour

Depending on how strong you want your lemonade to be, you may add more lemon juice and more water to reduce sweetness. Slice some strawberries and lime, and grab a few mint leaves to garnish your lemonade. These soak up the lemonade and add extra flavour to the juice, particularly lime. 

If you want to try something different, add grenadine syrup to your lemonade to make an even sweeter and exotic tasting beverage! Mind you, though, that adds to your daily sugar intake, so always make sure you watch how much you're drinking if you're on a weightloss diet! Enjoy

Lemonade with grenadine syrup