Spare Spoons Kitchen
Fresh Lemonade
Fresh-squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, and cold water — the 1:1:6 ratio that always works. Make the simple syrup ahead and lemonade is a 2-minute job. Bright, not cloying, not flat. Make a concentrate and add the water on arrival for a picnic.
Ingredients
Easier, if you like
- True Lemon crystallized lemon packets (grocery or online, near drink mixes) — each packet = 1 tsp fresh lemon juice; dissolve in water. Portable and shelf-stable for camping or travel.
- Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice (refrigerated juice section, green bottle) — the best bottled option when you genuinely can't juice fresh lemons. Still not as bright as fresh, but better than shelf-stable.
Method
Cook's notes
Fresh lemon juice is the whole point. Bottled lemon juice — even the good refrigerated kind — has a cooked, slightly off flavor. This recipe is simple enough that the juice quality shows.
Make-ahead concentrate for picnics. Mix just the simple syrup and lemon juice (skip the water) and refrigerate in a jar. Add 6 parts cold water when you arrive. Full freshness, no watery-from-ice problem.
Keeps 3 days refrigerated in a covered pitcher. Stir before serving.
Rolling lemons before cutting (firm pressure on the counter) breaks the internal membranes and gets you 20–30% more juice from the same fruit.
Vegan and gluten-free as written
Sparkling lemonade: Swap still water for sparkling water (add it right before serving to keep the bubbles).
Mint lemonade: Use mint simple syrup (see Simple Syrup variations) in place of plain simple syrup.
Strawberry lemonade: Add ½ cup muddled or blended fresh strawberries to the pitcher. Strain if you want it smooth.
Arnold Palmer: Half lemonade, half sweet tea (Sweet Tea). Pour into the glass over ice.