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August 20th is National Lemonade Day. When was the last time you had a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade?
Most of the lemonade drinks sold in supermarkets are made with lemon juice concentrate or worse, lemon flavoring.
Treat yourself to the real thing!
In addition to the recipes below, check out How To Glam Your Homemade Lemonade.
FLAVORED LEMONADE RECIPES
Cucumber Lemonade
Lavender Lemonade
Peach Lemonade
Sparkling Melon Lemonade
Spicy Lemonade
Strawberry-Basil Lemonade Recipe
Watermelon Mint Lemonade
MAKE FROZEN LEMONADE
Use fruit purée or syrups to create frozen lemonade. Here’s how to make frozen lemonade.
Also try it:
As a granita
As an ice pop
LEMONADE COCKTAIL RECIPES
Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail
Lemonade 485 Cocktail
Limoncello Lemonade
London Lemonade Cocktail (with gin)
Tequila Lemonade
Saké Lemonade
Our current favorite lemonade cocktail is Fishers Island Lemonade, sold in cans.
LEMONADE TRIVIA
Lemons originated in China, India, and Myanmar, and as sugar also originated in the general region, it’s safe to assume that some form of sweetened lemon water was first enjoyed in the ancient Far East.
The first recorded creation of lemonade dates to 500 C.E. in Egypt, when lemon juice was mixed with sugar to make a drink called qatarmizat.It was a valued trade item and was frequently exported to other countries.
The first lemonade “soft drink” debuted in Paris on August 20th, 1630. The drink was made from sparkling water and lemon juice sweetened with honey. Roving street vendors sold it from tanks strapped to their backs.
Frozen lemonade appeared more than 200 years later, in 1840 in Naples, Italy.
The first printed record of a lemonade stand was in 1879. The New York Times referenced a Wisconsin shopkeeper who hawked the drink outside his store. By the following summer, stands popped up all around New York City, selling cups for a nickel each (as opposed to 15 cents in a barroom).
The first variation of a now-famous phrase was printed in 1909, in Men’s Wear, a retailers’ newspaper. It said, “In business turn obstacles into conveniences. When handed a lemon—make lemonade of it.”
Grape or strawberry juice is added plain lemonade to make commercial pink lemonade. The cheap stuff uses red food color.
In Australia, England, Ireland and New Zealand, “lemonade” is a carbonated lemon- or lemon-lime soft drink, similar to Sprite.
Arnold Palmer popularized the drink named for him at the 1960 U.S. Open: half lemonade and half sweet tea.
Add vodka to an Arnold Palmer and it becomes a John Daly—a cruel reference, we think, to another golfer’s struggle with alcoholism.
Swap out the vodka for Everclear, a high-proof grain alcohol, and you’ve got a Happy Gilmore.
Hold the alcohol, and lemonade is truly thirst-quenching. Sour or tart drinks stimulate the salivary glands and provide relief to the “dry mouth” of being tired and dehydrated. This effect even continues after the drink is finished.
VARIETIES OF LEMONADE
Brown Lemonade: In Northern Ireland, brown lemonade is flavored with brown sugar.
Cloudy Lemonade: The conventional form of lemonade found in the U.S., Canada, and India. In the U.K. and Australia, you have to ask for “cloudy” lemonade; regular “lemonade” is a carbonated drink like Sprite.
Clear Lemonade: The predominant form of lemonade in the U.K. and Australia is a clear, lemon- or lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage. Schweppes and R. White’s Lemonade are common brands. Other soft drinks that are both lemon and lime flavored, such as Sprite and 7 UP, may also sometimes be referred to as lemonade.
There are also speciality flavors of clear lemonade, such as Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade, made with added rose oil.
Shandy, a mixture of beer and lemonade, is available bottled and in pubs. Here’s more about it.
Pink Lemonade: The best versions are cloudy lemonade with added grape or strawberry juice for color and an extra layer of flavor.
> The History Of Lemonade
> The History Of Lemons
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[1] The easiest: Mint lemonade. Just crush a sprig of mint in your hand and drop it in (photo © Simit & Smith).
[2] Strawberry lemonade (photo © Cocina de Color Lila).
[3] Blueberry Watermelon Lemonade (photo © Blueberry Council).
[4] Layer other flavors, like this lime zest rim, or a combination of lime zest and chili powder (photo © Saint Marc Pub Cafe |
[5] Start squeezing! (photo © Caroline Attwood | Unsplash).
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