Hannah’s Lemonade

For my very first post, I'm going to go with one of the very first things I learned how to make, and something that is still a favorite. It’s a simple recipe, one that’s very easily scalable – doubled, tripled, halved, and so forth – and very easy to make. In other words, it’s great for that "getting one’s feet wet" kind of post. Lemonade is also one of those things that, it seems, a lot of people don’t really know how to make well. But it’s actually super easy to do, as it only requires three ingredients and a stove, pot, pitcher, and, optionally, a juicer.

I’m calling this Hannah’s lemonade because several months ago I sent my friend Hannah home after a visit with a large plastic pitcher full of freshly made lemonade, and it’s something of a tradition now that every time she comes over she brings the pitcher along and I fill it back up.

Start with fresh lemons. I find that about 6 or 7 large ripe lemons yield about 2 cups of lemon juice.

The basic formula is one part lemon juice, one part sugar, and one part water to begin with. Juicing the lemons first is recommended in order to avoid coming up short on the juice versus the sugar and water.

If, like me, you use a hand juicer, you may want to strain or spoon out any seeds that make their way to the bottom before continuing on to the next step.

The key to good lemonade is to dissolve the sugar into the water before adding the lemon juice. Combine one part sugar and one part water in a saucepan.

At first you will feel like you have a mountain of sugar, but some water and stirring will give you what you’re looking for, which is sugar syrup.

Add the water and stir over medium low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. This will take a few minutes.

When the mixture is translucent and no longer opaque, it’s ready. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a bit.

In the pitcher, mix the lemon juice with four parts cold water.

Add in the sugar syrup and mix well, then let cool.

That’s all there is to it. Chill and enjoy.

---

Combine the sugar and first cup of water in a saucepan and stir over medium low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Let cool. Combine the lemon juice and other four cups of water in a pitcher, then add in the sugar-water mixture and stir until fully combined. Chill and serve. Makes 6 cups.