Lemonade

(American lemon beverage)

Yield: about 2 quarts

Basic Steps: Juice → Mix → Chill

Squeeze lemons into a 2-quart pitcher. Drop the squeezed halves into the pitcher and pound gently with a wooden spoon to release the lemon oils.
Pour in the water and sugar. Stir well.
Chill with ice and serve immediately.

Single Serving: 1/2 to 1 lemons; 1 1/2 cups cold water; 3 Tbsp sugar. Mix in a tall glass.
Limeade: substitute 6-8 limes for the lemons.
Pink Lemonade: add 1 cup of cranberry juice.
Middle Eastern Lemonade: add 1 Tbsp orange blossom water.
Crush a sprig of mint or some slices of fresh ginger with the lemon halves for a refreshing twist.
Use honey instead of sugar.
Use a mild iced tea instead of water for a great pick-me-up.
If are not going to drink the lemonade within a couple of hours, remove the lemon halves after about 15 minutes. If you leave them in too long they will turn the drink bitter.

Lemonade and its basic theme of lemon juice sugar and water is popular around the world. The sweet-tart beverage is a summertime favorite in the United States.
The French call it citronnade and claim to have invented it in the Middle Ages. That may or may not be true. People in the Middle East have slaked their thirst with orange-blossom-scented lemonade for centuries. Indians and Pakistanis enjoy nimbu paani, or lemon water. The Vietnamese fight back the sultry heat with a tall glass of da chanh or with a salty lemonade made with preserved lemons called chanh muoi. And the people of Papau New Guinea have their own version with muli wara.