Lemonade always sounds good on a hot day, and I think the fresh-squeezed kind is always the best! I don’t know why I don’t make this more often, because it tastes so good! And it’s not that much work to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. This is a variation of a recipe from Domino Sugar. Sadly, there’s only about a month left of summer! I’m not sure where the time has gone, but we might as well enjoy what’s left of the season with some lemonade! Or try some Iced Tea Lemonade…see instructions at the end of the recipe below.

Before you make your lemonade, check out these helpful tips:

1. To extract the most juice from lemons, soften them by rolling and pressing them on your counter top before juicing them.

2. To keep your lemonade from becoming too diluted from ice cubes, make your ice cubes out of lemonade–you can make some lemonade ahead of time for that purpose and keep them in the freezer so they’re ready when you need them!

FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE by NancyC, adapted from Domino Sugar

Makes 2 to 4 servings

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 3 medium-to-large lemons)
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like your lemonade
• Fresh mint for garnish (optional)
• Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Combine water and lemon juice in a pitcher, then add sugar. Mix well, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into ice-filled glasses, and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices if desired. You can double the recipe and use a larger pitcher if you need more servings.

ICED TEA LEMONADE: I like to mix iced tea and lemonade together–it’s a nice variation if you like a lemony flavor in your tea. To make it, all you need to do is combine equal amounts of your favorite iced tea with this lemonade recipe. Add additional sugar if desired, to taste.

Do you make lemonade often? Fresh-squeezed or from a mix or concentrate?