Description
Enjoy the sweet and tangy taste of State Fair Lemonade, a classic, refreshing beverage that’s perfect for any occasion. With just the right balance of sweetness and tartness, this homemade lemonade will make you feel like you’re at the fair!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4–6 lemons)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 cups cold water
- Ice cubes
- Lemon slices (for garnish)
- Fresh mint (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
-
Make the Simple Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with the granulated sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. This is your simple syrup.
-
Juice the Lemons:
- While the simple syrup is cooling, squeeze the lemons to get about 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Make sure to strain the juice to remove any seeds or pulp.
-
Mix the Lemonade:
- In a large pitcher, combine the fresh lemon juice with the simple syrup. Add the remaining 4 cups of cold water and stir well.
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Chill the Lemonade:
- Add ice cubes to the pitcher and stir again to chill the lemonade. If you like it colder, you can refrigerate the lemonade for about 30 minutes before serving.
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Serve:
- Pour the lemonade into glasses filled with ice. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy the refreshing taste of homemade State Fair Lemonade!
Notes
- Adjust the Sweetness: If you like your lemonade sweeter, you can add a little more sugar to the simple syrup. For a more tart flavor, reduce the amount of sugar slightly.
- Make It Fizzy: For a fun twist, you can replace some of the cold water with sparkling water or soda water to create a fizzy lemonade.
- Infuse Flavors: You can add other fruits like strawberries or raspberries to infuse more flavor into the lemonade. Just muddle the fruit in the pitcher before adding the water and lemon juice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (for making the simple syrup)
- Category: Beverage, Summer Drink
- Method: Stirring, Simple Syrup Preparation
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0g