Rocking Chair Lemonade 3 Ways

By ltrodrigu

If you are concerned that the lemonade will be too sweet, start with 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of the sugar syrup, then taste before adding more.

Ingredients

• FOR BASIC LEMONADE:
• 1 cup warm tap water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• 3 cups cold water
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• Fresh mint leaves (optional)
• FOR STRAWBERRY LEMONADE:
• 2 cups of cleaned and hulled fresh strawberries
• FOR LEMON DROP COCKTAIL:
• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of lemon-flavored or other vodka
• 1/3 cup of orange liqueur
• sugar, for glass rims
• crushed ice
• 6 slices of lemon, for garnish.

Details

Adapted from archive.visaliatimesdelta.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stir together the warm water and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then set aside off the heat to cool.

Once the syrup is cool, pour it into a 2-quart pitcher. Add the lemon juice and cold water, then stir well. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint. Serve over ice.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE:
Puree strawberries in a juicer or blender. If using a blender, press the puree through a mesh strainer to remove any large pieces of pulp. Add the strawberry puree to the lemonade recipe above, but reduce the cold water to 2 cups.

LEMON DROP COCKTAIL:
From the recipe above, mix the lemon juice and simple syrup with cold water. Add lemon-flavored vodka and orange liqueur. Mix well. Frost the glasses with a sugar rim and pour over crushed ice. Add a slice of lemon for garnish.