Tag Archives: strawberries

Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways

Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.

Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!

Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade
Serves: 1 Small Pitcher
A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.
Ingredients
    • 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)
    • 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)
    • 4 TBS Hot Water
  • 32 oz Cold Water
Instructions
    1. Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.
    1. In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.
    1. Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water
  1. Serve plain or with one of the following variations

For Strawberry Lemonade

Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.

For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!

For Iced Tea Lemonade

For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade

For an adult beverage:
Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!

Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!

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