Ask BFFF: How to Make Homemade Lemonade

I grew up in a family that didn’t really do lemonade or iced drinks at all. I’ll chalk that up to the fact that our family’s house in England only got a refrigerator a few years ago, and I’m still not sure if there’s an icebox there yet. But despite the abundance of more age appropriate drinks, I order lemonade as my drink of choice at almost every restaurant I go to. I have been known to drink lemonade all day while out, only to come home to make some of my own as soon as I walk in the door. It’s become somewhat of a summer ritual.

Lemonade is one of those perfectly simple drinks. To make it at home, you can begin first by making a simple syrup with lemon juice and sugar (or, if you want to try my favorite recipe, honey). You’ll want to heat this up until the lemon juice and your sugar of choice are perfectly melded together. When you’ve reached the point of a simple syrup, you can pull the mixture immediately from the heat and chill. Once chilled, pour the mixture in a pitcher and combine with water (still or sparkling…whatever you prefer!) and mix in the zest from half of a lemon. Fill a glass up with ice, pour your lemonade over it, and voila! The perfect summer drink is right at your fingertips.