There are few things that are refreshing in hot weather, like a glass of cold lemonade. However, instead of buying a bottle of lemonade at the convenience store, you can make your own. Customize your homemade lemonade by making it as sweet as you like and squeezing the lemons yourself. As a touch of color to a classic lemonade, add a dash of strawberry syrup to make a pink lemonade. If you're in a hurry, put all the lemonade ingredients in a blender. Once the mixture is strained, you can have fresh lemonade ready to serve in no time!
Ingredients
Classic Lemonade
- 400-500 grams of sugar
- 1, 2 liters of water, separate into two containers
- 6 large lemons or 400 ml lemon juice
For about 2 liters of lemonade
Pink Lemonade
- 300 grams of sugar
- 200 grams of fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
- 1, 1 liter of water, separate into two containers
- Lemon peel (take from 2 lemons)
- 470 ml fresh lemon juice
For 1.7 liters of lemonade
Practical Lemonade Using a Blender
- 3 lemons
- 1,000 ml to 1.2 liters of water
- 70 grams of sugar
- 2 tablespoons (40 grams) sweetened condensed milk, optional
For 4-6 servings
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Classic Lemonade
Step 1. Squeeze 6 lemons to get about 400 ml of lemon juice
For easier squeezing, press the fruit while rolling it back and forth on the kitchen counter. After that, cut each fruit into two halves and attach them to the squeezer. Twist the fruit while pressing so that the juice comes out and is accommodated on the side of the squeezer. Keep squeezing the fruit until you get about 400 ml of juice, then set the juice aside.
- If you are reluctant to squeeze the fruit yourself, use bottled lemon juice. Look for products that don't contain a lot of preservatives or visit the grocery store's cold food section.
- For more juice, heat the fruit in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before squeezing.
Step 2. Mix 500 grams of granulated sugar with 250 ml of water in a saucepan
If you want the lemonade to be less sweet, use 400 grams of sugar. For a sweeter lemonade, use 500 grams of sugar. Put the sugar in a large pot of 250 ml of water.
- The pot must be able to hold a minimum of 2 liters of liquid.
- This mixture will form the basic sugar syrup to sweeten the lemonade.
- If you prefer, use a preferred alternative sweetener, such as liquid stevia sugar, agave sugar, or powdered monk fruit sweetener (luo han guo sugar).
Step 3. Heat the mixture for 4 minutes until it becomes a thick syrup
Turn the stove to medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally. Keep heating the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear.
Make sure all the sugar is completely dissolved. Otherwise, the lemonade will have a grainy texture
Step 4. Turn off the stove, then add the lemon juice and remaining water
Pour 400 ml of lemon juice into the sugar syrup and mix well. After that, add 1000 ml of water. Use cold water to cool the lemonade faster.
Tip:
Try a spoonful of lemonade first to see if it's sweet enough to suit your taste. If it's too sour, add 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of granulated sugar. If it's too sweet, add half a lemon juice.
Step 5. Chill the lemonade in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until cold
Carefully pour the lemonade into a heatproof kettle and store in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the lemonade for at least 1 hour. If you're in a hurry, you can pour the lemonade into a few small kettles to make it cool faster in the refrigerator.
Don't put ice in the kettle to cool the lemonade, as ice can actually thin the drink. Wait for the lemonade to cool before you add the ice
Step 6. Serve lemonade with ice
Once the lemonade is ready to serve, fill the glass with ice and pour the lemonade into it. As a garnish, tuck a lemon wedge or a twist of lemon peel on the rim of the glass.
Refrigerate any remaining lemonade for up to 4 days. Cover the kettle to prevent the lemonade from absorbing other food odors
Method 2 of 3: Making Pink Lemonade
Step 1. Combine sugar, strawberries and 470 ml of water in a saucepan
Put 300 grams of granulated sugar in a large saucepan on the stove, then add 200 grams of fresh, coarsely chopped strawberries. Pour 470 ml of water into the pot afterwards.
If you prefer, use fresh raspberries instead of strawberries. Since this fruit is not very sweet, you may need to increase the sugar to 400 grams
Variation:
Instead of strawberry pink lemonade, make sugar syrup by heating 200 grams of granulated sugar and 300 ml of water. Once the syrup has cooled, add 250 ml of cranberry syrup, 250 ml of lemon juice and 1,000 ml of cold water. Serve the cranberry-flavoured pink lemonade with ice cold.
Step 2. Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil
Turn on the computer over medium-high heat and heat the mixture until the water begins to boil. Stir the mixture every few minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve.
Remove the lid on the pot to prevent the mixture from overflowing
Step 3. Lower the heat to low and heat the mixture for 3 minutes
Reduce the heat until the water is just foamy. Keep heating the mixture and stirring occasionally until the water appears pink.
Strawberries will lose their color and become mushy when cooked
Step 4. Turn off the stove and add the orange zest
Use a grater to remove the rind from 2 lemons, then add the grated to the strawberry mixture. Stir until the orange peel is combined, then let the mixture cool.
Do not grate the orange peel too deeply so that the white part of the bitter skin is not carried away
Step 5. Strain the mixture into a bowl
Place a fine gauze strainer over a kettle or large measuring cup. Pour the strawberry mixture into a colander so that the strawberry syrup collects in the kettle.
- You can discard the strawberry pulp stuck in the colander.
- To remove all the strawberry syrup, press the pulp against the colander with the back of a spoon.
Step 6. Mix strawberry syrup, lemon juice and water in a kettle
Remove the strainer, then pour the 470 ml of lemon juice and the remaining 590 ml of cold water into the kettle. Stir the mixture until smooth.
You can use fresh (squeezed) lemon juice or bottled lemon juice
Step 7. Chill the pink lemonade in the refrigerator until ready to serve
You can enjoy the drink right away or store it in the refrigerator to refrigerate for up to 2 days. Once the lemonade is ready to drink, fill the serving glass with ice, pour the lemonade into the glass, and enjoy!
Method 3 of 3: Make Lemonade Quickly Using a Blender
Step 1. Divide the three lemons into (each) four pieces, and remove both ends
Rinse 3 lemons and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut each fruit into 4 equal parts. After that, use a small knife to cut about 1.5 centimeters at both ends of the fruit. You can remove the end pieces.
By cutting both ends of the fruit, you can remove the white skin from the fruit. You will need to remove that part because the white skin makes the lemonade bitter
Step 2. Put the lemon pieces in a blender along with cold water and sugar
Enter 1000 ml of water and 70 grams of sugar. For a smoother texture and sweeter taste, you can add 2 tablespoons (40 grams) of sweetened condensed milk.
- If available, use powdered sugar. The granules are smaller than regular granulated sugar so the sugar dissolves faster.
- To reduce the strength of the lemon flavor, add another 250 ml of water.
Step 3. Mix all ingredients for 1 minute on high speed
Put the lid on the blender glass, then mix all the ingredients until the fruit is completely crushed. The mixture in the blender glass will look like lemonade.
The lemon will look grainy, but it won't actually mix with the water. If the ingredients are mashed too long, the mixture will turn into lemon juice and have a bitter taste
Tip:
If you're using a high-power blender, use the pulse setting so you don't take too long to blend the mixture.
Step 4. Let the mixture sit in the blender for 2 minutes
Once the ingredients are mixed, turn off the blender and let the mixture sit. When allowed to stand, the lemon wedges will rise to the surface.
This way, you can strain the lemonade easily. In addition, the mixture can also absorb more of the lemon flavor when left to stand
Step 5. Strain the lemonade into a serving kettle
Place a fine gauze strainer over a large kettle and carefully pour the lemonade over the sieve. The strainer will hold the lemon wedges, while the lemonade will settle in the kettle.
If the strainer becomes clogged, don't pour in any more lemonade and discard any retained lemon wedges. After that, strain the lemonade again
Step 6. Pour the lemonade into a serving glass
Fill the glass with ice, then pour the lemonade from the kettle into it. Enjoy the lemonade right away before the ice starts to melt.
You can store leftover lemonade in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that lemonade ingredients may settle and separate, so you'll need to stir them before serving
Tips
- To quickly turn classic lemonade into pink lemonade, add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of pomegranate syrup to each glass of lemonade.
- Freeze lemonade in popsicle molds for a handy fresh snack!
- To prevent the ice from melting and diluting the drink, fill the ice tray with lemonade. Freeze the lemonade and add it to the drink. The frozen lemonade won't dilute the drink and make it taste bland!
- When making lemonade in a blender, try adding sparkling water instead of plain water for a carbonated lemonade.
