Homemade Lemonade from Lemons

Prepare all the ingredients for homemade lemonade from lemons. I want to clarify that the quantity of lemons mentioned here is used to make 1.5 liters of lemonade. However, everyone has different tastes. Some prefer a sweeter and more intense flavor, while others prefer a lighter taste. To accommodate your taste preferences, the lemon syrup will be prepared separately. Then, you can dilute it until the lemonade tastes most comfortable for you.

Prepare the lemons for homemade lemonade. Thoroughly wash them and cut them in half.

Use a juicer or a fork to squeeze the juice out of the lemons. Leave one half of a lemon intact for garnishing the lemonade. Tip 1: To make it easier to squeeze the juice out of the lemon, roll it on a table surface with light pressure from your palm. This helps break the partitions inside the lemon, making it easier to extract the juice. Tip 2: If you freeze a whole lemon and then thaw it in the refrigerator, it will yield more juice. Additionally, freezing helps enhance the beneficial properties of the lemon's acidity for our bodies.

Transfer the lemon juice into a saucepan and add sugar. Note that I used seedless lemons. If your lemons have seeds, be sure to remove them from the juice. When heated, they can give the syrup an unwanted bitterness. If you want to make the lemonade more diet-friendly without sacrificing taste, you can replace regular sugar with a sugar substitute. I do not recommend using honey in this case, as the juice needs to be heated to obtain the syrup, and heating honey is not recommended.

Place the saucepan with lemon juice and sugar on the stove. Once the juice comes to a boil, simmer it over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar should completely dissolve in the juice, and the juice itself should slightly thicken.

Remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool. You can transfer the syrup to a jar with a lid and refrigerate it. It will store well in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can easily make a new batch of lemonade at any time, especially if you increase the amount of lemons and sugar and make more syrup than the recipe calls for.

Next, you can prepare the lemonade in a large pitcher or individually, as shown in the recipe. Slice the remaining half of the lemon into thin slices.

Place 2-3 lemon slices in each glass. Add a sprig of mint for decoration and a hint of flavor to the lemonade. You can also use a sprig of rosemary or tarragon. Fresh berries can also be used for garnishing.

Fill the glasses two-thirds full with cold still mineral sparkling water. Note that it should be still water, not medicinal water. Medicinal mineral water has a distinct taste that not everyone enjoys. But the choice is always yours.

Add the cooled lemon syrup to the glasses, approximately 2-3 tablespoons per glass. Also, add ice and serve. Delicious, refreshing, and very healthy homemade lemonade is ready.