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A tray with glasses of old fashioned lemonade garnished with fresh mint, a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of cookies.

Old Fashioned Lemonade

A cold glass of Old Fashioned Lemonade is perfect for a hot, summer day! This easy recipe has the sweet-tart citric taste just like the lemonade that Grandma made!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 151kcal
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water

For the Lemonade:

  • 4 to 5 cups cold water
  • 2 cups lemon juice from about 10 lemons
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced
  • Ice cubes
  • Fresh mint for garnish

Instructions

Make the simple syrup:

  • Add the sugar and 1 cup of water to a small saucepan set over medium-high and bring to a boil.  Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved.  Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. You will have approximately 1-½ cups of simple syrup.

For the Lemonade:

  • Pour 4 cups of the cold water into a 2-quart pitcher. Add the lemon juice and 1 cup of the simple syrup stirring well.  Taste and adjust to your liking. If it is too strong, add an extra cup or two of water. Add extra lemon juice if you like it more tart. If you want it sweeter, add more simple syrup.
  • Add lemon slices to the pitcher.
  • Place several ice cubes and a lemon slice in tall glasses and fill with lemonade.  Top each serving with a sprig of mint if desired.

Notes

  • For a sweeter lemonade, do not add sugar to the pitcher of cold lemonade, as it will not dissolve easily. My suggestion is to make additional simple syrup by combining ½ cup of the lemonade and ½ cup of sugar in a saucepan. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, cool, and add to the pitcher of lemonade according to your taste preference. 
  • If you want to replace the sugar with honey, it works best if you make the simple syrup using honey instead of sugar. That way, the honey will dissolve easier.
  • If you want to use agave nectar instead of sugar, just stir the agave into the lemonade. Agave will dissolve easily in cold drinks.
  • Some lemons have an excessive amount of seeds.  To easily remove many of them before squeezing, cut the lemons in half and insert a dinner fork in several places of the exposed flesh, gently twisting the fork. The seeds will rise to the surface, where you can scrape them off with the fork. Repeat the procedure with each lemon. Then proceed with the juicing.  The fork will break up the lemon flesh to help release its juice.
  • If the lemons are especially firm and difficult to juice, try rolling them on the countertop while firmly pressing down, which breaks down the tissues.  Also, you can place them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before squeezing them.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg