Lemon Limeade

When I was a kid, every summer I wanted to set up a lemonade stand. I didn't want to do it for the money (though that was a perk). I just wanted to do it because I always saw kids on sitcoms doing it and it looked like fun. There was one time that my mom finally caved and let me take some plastic cups outside along with a pitcher of lemonade made with the powdered mix. Since we were rarely allowed sugary foods, I got overexcited and selfish and I ended up drinking all of the lemonade myself.

I think if I tried to open up a lemon limeade stand with the recipe I'm sharing today, I'd definitely end up doing the same thing. I'd drink all of the merchandise myself because it's so good. I love the combination of lemons and limes. It's tart and sweet and fruity and quintessentially summery.

Ingredients:
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups water
8 to 10 limes
4 to 6 lemons
6 to 8 cups water

The lemon limeade starts with sugar syrup. I find that the amount of sugar required for lemonade is enough that it's hard to make it dissolve just by stirring it into the lemon juice. Making sugar syrup is so much better because you avoid the possibility of gritty sugar sitting at the bottom of the pitcher.

So, start by zesting 4 limes and 2 lemons. Then, add sugar, 1½ cups water, and the lemon and lime peel into a saucepan. Pop the pan onto a low heat and let it cook until the sugar dissolves. Then, remove from the heat and let it cool.

While the syrup is going, you can juice the lemons and limes. To make the juicing process a bit easier, I like to squish the citrus a bit and roll it back and forth across a hard surface. This softens up the insides so that they're easier to squeeze.

Juice as many lemons as you need to make ¾ cup of juice.

Repeat with the limes. Again, you want ¾ cup of juice.

To make the lemonade, strain the syrup and the citrus juice into a pitcher.

Add water to taste and give it a stir. Start with about 6 cups of water; add more if necessary.

Garnish with a few slices of lemon and lime, if you like, and then chill until cold. Or, you can add ice but note that since ice will dilute the drink, you might want to go easy on the water you add to the concentrated citrus juice and syrup.

The lemon limeade is tart and fruity and perfect on a hot day.

Here's the recipe page: