Speaking of lemonade…. I am obsessed with lemons. I am never without them. (If you want to hear about my lemon obsession, you can do that here.). So of course I have serious opinions about lemonade.
Great lemonade is much more than refreshingly delicious; it is also extremely good for you. In addition to containing loads of infection-fighting vitamin C, lemon juice is an antioxidant and very effective in times of gastric distress. But please, when life gives you lemons, make better lemonade.
The first thing to know is that the best flavor in a lemon is hiding in the peel, which contains all that wonderful lemon oil. If you’re going to take advantage of this, buy organic lemons or scrub conventional lemons very well before removing the zest.
But here’s the problem: just below the bright yellow zest is the evil white pith. It is very bitter; crush it into your lemonade and within a few hours your wonderful drink will become quite unpleasant.
Simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water), is one of the secrets to great lemonade. But if you infuse the syrup with lemon zest you get the complexity of the zest without the pithy bitterness – and a very sunny color.
Lemonade requires a lot of juice. A good lemon will give you a quarter cup of liquid. But few are so succulent, and if you have unfortunate lemons you can increase your odds by rolling the lemon beneath your palm to break down the cells. Another trick: microwave them for 20 seconds to shock them into relaxing and releasing more juice. – Ruth Reichl
Better Lemonade
Serves 2
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
4-6 lemons, enough to make a cup of lemon juice
2 cups water
2 sprigs mint (optional)
Make syrup: With a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons, being careful to leave all the white pith behind. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, toss in the lemon zest and allow to cool.
Squeeze lemons: Squeeze enough lemons to yield a cup of fresh juice.
Mix to taste: Strain the sugar syrup; it should be a lovely yellow. Add half to the lemon juice, along with the water, and keep adding more until it is sweetened to your taste. (The strained syrup will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator.)
Serve: Pour over ice cubes and serve, garnished with a sprig of mint or a slice of lemon.
