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fresh lemonade syrup

(8 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Amy Croyle
Bellingham, WA

I got this recipe from my mom a few years ago and since then I have found many ways to modify it even though it is excellent just made into classic lemonade. This can be made into classic lemonade, strawberry lemonade, lavender lemonade, Arnold Palmer, or into a lemon granita, with or without something for the adults. I always have this syrup in the fridge during the summer. Only the first six steps are for the syrup the rest of the steps are each a different way to use it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

This lemonade syrup is better than the concentrate you can buy at the store. Made with only four ingredients, you may have them in your kitchen already. Use the syrup to make one of the recipes Amy suggests. We opted for lemonade and it was perfect. Very refreshing on a hot summer's day.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(8 ratings)
yield 6 -8
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 10 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For fresh lemonade syrup

  • LEMON SYRUP
  • 3 c
    sugar
  • 3 c
    water
  • 3 c
    fresh lemon juice (12-13 lemons depending on size, this is just an estimate)
  • 2 Tbsp
    fine lemon zest
  • EXTRAS YOU MAY WANT TO ADD TO YOUR SYRUP TO MAKE DIFFERENT DRINKS
  • water - classic lemonade
  • sparkling water - sparkling lemonade
  • fresh lavender or lavender essence - lavender lemonade
  • frozen strawberries, sugared- strawberry lemonade
  • unsweetened ice tea- arnold palmer
  • ice - granita
  • lemon schnapps or any other liquor you like- granita with a kick!

How To Make fresh lemonade syrup

  • Juicing fresh lemons.
    1
    Juice and zest lemons to get the required amounts of both. Sometimes heating the lemon in the microwave for a few seconds will help get the juices flowing.
  • Boiling water in a saucepan.
    2
    In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, boil water and remove from heat.
  • Adding sugar and lemon zest to boiling water.
    3
    Immediately add sugar and lemon zest.
  • Stirring until sugar dissolves.
    4
    Stir until the sugar has completely melted and dissolved into the water.
  • Adding lemon juice to the saucepan.
    5
    Mix in lemon juice and stir until completely incorporated.
  • Transfer the mixture to a covered container.
    6
    Transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate until cool.
  • Equal parts lemon syrup and water to make lemonade.
    7
    Once cool, mix equal parts lemon syrup with water for classic lemonade.
  • 8
    Sparkling Lemonade: Mix equal parts lemon syrup with sparkling water.
  • 9
    Lavender Lemonade: Add 1/2 cup fresh lavender to water before boiling the water (if you do not want the lavender floating around in the syrup you can tie it in a cheesecloth or put a fill your own tea bag) or add lavender essence to classic lemonade.
  • 10
    Strawberry Lemonade - Add 1/8 cup thawed sugared frozen strawberries to classic lemonade. (You can make your own sugared strawberries too just make sure they have a lot of time to sit and get the juices flowing for a nice syrup.)
  • 11
    Arnold Palmer - Mix lemon syrup with equal parts unsweetened ice tea.
  • 12
    Granita - In a blender, blend 1 part syrup with 1 1/2-2 parts ice. Blend until smooth and slushy. For the adults add one shot of your favorite liquor per serving (more or less to your taste).
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