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Lemonade. Does that word inspire you, generate immediate thirst, or bring up the visual of a darling pair of little girls with a rickety stand somewhere.

My favorite non-alcoholic beverage is lemonade. I crave it year round. Homemade. From scratch.

For most of you, making lemonade has meant lifting the lid off that can of frozen concentrate or opening that big green bottle. Well, the bottle says “Real” so what can be the problem? I actually do like the concentrates, but they are not fresh and they are very, very sweet. Plus they have all those nice chemicals.

As for the bottled stuff, I have never, ever made a satisfactory glass of lemonade from it. I’ve tried varying the water and sugar but the flavor is just not right. The brightness of the lemons is long gone, replaced by a dull taste that coats your mouth like some kind of citrus sludge.

So, “homemade” means using real lemons. That’s “real” with a small r. But how many? You’ll find recipes that call for one or two cups of fresh lemon juice. That’s a lot of lemons. You can plan on at least 12 per cup of juice. It takes time to do all that squeezing and afterward your kitchen is as sticky as a flytrap. And then there is the matter of cost. At a New York City Korean market, you can get 2 or 3 lemons for a dollar. A cup of lemon juice now seems to be colored golden, not lemony. For that price, you might as well switch to good single malt.

Of course, you kids might not like the single malt, and you really want lemonade, so here is what you need. A recipe that is not time consuming. That does not leave a mess. That does not use a mound of lemons.

Here is just that perfect recipe. It’s really as simple as 1-2-3 and is quite delicious. After the core recipe, I’ve given you several alternatives below. Take a look, break out a couple of lemons and grab your blender. In five minutes you will have the best lemonade you have ever had.

Just a preview, spring seems to be here so I’ll be in lemonade mode. I’ll be blogging some great options: strawberry and blackberry lemonades for example. You beverage portfolio is about to expand.

Brian’s Perfect Lemonade 1-2-3

Yield: just under 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
2 lemons, ends cut off, quartered, seeds removed
3 cups cold water

Preparation:

Wash the lemons, cut off the ends, then quarter the lemons vertically. To a reasonable degree, remove the seeds. Don’t obsess, but try to get out the easy ones.

Put the lemons, sugar, and water in a blender. Put the blender on low to break up the lemons then shift to high for 3 minutes.

Pour into a pitcher. Chill. Serve in glasses filled with ice.

I said it was easy.

Alternative #1:

Do you like pulp? If so, then you are really done because there will be a lot of pulp here. If you want a “cleaner” drink, then pour the blender contents through a sieve to strain out the pulp.

Alternative #2:

You can adjust the amount of sugar down, especially if you are sieving. A full cup of sugar makes for a sweet lemonade — yes, some of my friends and family have complained. If you prefer it tarter, then use only ¾ cup of sugar and add that to the sieved liquid. I have never backed off to just ½ cup of sugar and I am not going to.

Alternative #3:

I know I said this was my favorite non-alcoholic drink, and it is, but you do have the basis for an great cocktail here.  Put 6 ounces of lemonade into an ice-filled glass and top with 1 ounce of citrus-flavored vodka. My choice here is Absolute Mandarin. The cocktail will tap your senses, not overpower them. It’s a soft accompaniment to a plate of veggie appetizers with a strong dip. Carrots, peppers, and dill dip are a suggestion.

Source: Brian O’Rourke