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Lots o' Lemon: Powdered lemonade mix unacceptable, Raleigh author of 'Lemonade' says
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Sparkling Ginger Lemonade successfully combines the flavors of fresh ginger and sweet honey.
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Published: July 23, 2008
"Comfort food in a glass" is the way cookbook author Fred Thompson of Raleigh describes lemonade.
"It's as nostalgic as Mom's meatloaf," said Thompson, the author of Lemonade (Harvard Common Press, 2002). "We all have some memories of it as a child.... It's sort of this sense of generations that quite frankly we don't have a lot of these days."
The taste of lemonade is satisfying because it combines sweet and sour flavors, he said. "If made appropriately, it's sort of an exciting thing to have in your mouth."
Appropriately is the key word. There is no circumstance under which powdered lemonade mix is acceptable, other than to add a bit of flavor to iced tea, Thompson said.
"To me, lemonade is about fresh. It's about bold," he said. "It's like using fresh herbs at the last minute in a savory dish."
Along those lines, Thompson also steers clear of bottled, reconstituted lemon juice.
In a pinch, store-bought lemonade can be transformed into a reasonably good beverage by adding the juice of a few fresh lemons and their rinds and refrigerating the mixture overnight, he said.
Some of Thompson's recipes also include frozen lemonade
concentrate mixed with fresh ingredients. But for truly tasty lemonade, fresh lemon juice and zest are critical, he said, and you don't need a fancy juicer.
"I still like old-fashioned, simple reamers," he said. "They're as effective as anything else, easy to store and they don't cost a lot of money."
Thompson also suggests sweetening lemonade with superfine sugar, because it dissolves more quickly than conventional granulated sugar. A simple syrup (made by boiling water and sugar) also is good.
Sparkling Ginger Lemonade
Recipe from the April/May issue of Taste of Home magazine. This simple lemonade marries the wonderfully complementary flavors of fresh ginger and sweet honey.
2 cups water
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 cups club soda, cold
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey and ginger. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
2. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the mixture into it, discarding the ginger. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and cool completely.
3. Stir in the soda and lemon juice. Serve over ice.
Makes 5 servings.
Lemonade Float
This bracingly tart and chilly lemonade is perfect for a steamy day. For a creamy version, use vanilla ice cream instead of lemon sherbet. Lime sherbet also would be a nice alternative.
Start to finish: 5 minutes
2 tablespoons powdered lemonade mix
Ice (optional)
1¼ cups seltzer water
⅓ to ½ cup lemon sherbet
Lemon wedges, for garnish
In a tall glass, place the lemonade mix and ice (if using). Add the seltzer water and stir until the powder is dissolved. Float a large, rounded scoop on top of the lemonade. Serve with a straw and lemon wedges.
Makes 1 serving.
Old-Fashioned Lemonade
This basic recipe from Fred Thompson's cookbook Lemonade starts with a simple syrup that can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a month. Having some on hand speeds up the process of making fresh lemonade.
For the sugar syrup:
Grated zest of 2 lemons
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
For the lemonade:
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12 lemons), with half of the rinds reserved and roughly chopped
3 cups cold water
1. To make the sugar syrup, in a medium saucepan combine the zest, sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the syrup to a 2-quart pitcher. Let cool.
3. Add the lemon juice, chopped lemon rinds and cold water. Stir well to combine. Chill until very cold.
Makes 2 quarts.
Watermelon Lemonade
The fresh taste of watermelon livens up this lemonade recipe from Rozanne Gold in The Oprah Magazine Cookbook (Hyperion, 2008). Adjust the sweetness by experimenting with the amount of honey.
1½ pounds sliced seedless watermelon, rind removed
Zest of 1 lemon
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup honey
1½ cups cold water
1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish
1. In a food processor, puree the watermelon until very smooth.
2. Set a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the pureed watermelon through it. Stir the pulp to let as much liquid as possible drain into the bowl. Discard the pulp.
3. Pour the watermelon juice into a large pitcher and add the lemon zest. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey until honey dissolves. Stir this mixture into the watermelon juice, then stir in the water.
5. Cover and refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.
Makes 4 servings.
Vanilla Bean Lemonade
Vanilla is prized for its ability to bring subtle changes to many recipes. Though this recipe from Lemonade by Fred Thompson uses frozen lemonade concentrate as a shortcut, Thompson doesn't recommend cutting corners on vanilla: use vanilla beans for the most unadulterated vanilla flavor, or pure vanilla extract.
1 12-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 cups cold water
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract, to taste
2 large lemons, quartered and seeded
1. In a 3-quart pitcher, combine the lemonade concentrate, water, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. If you are using vanilla beans, split the beans lengthwise down the middle and scrape out the seeds into the lemonade mixture. Discard the beans. Stir until the seeds have separated. Alternatively, add vanilla extract to taste.
3. Let the lemonade steep for at least 10 minutes.
4. Strain the lemonade, if desired, through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any vanilla-bean residue. Squeeze each lemon wedge into the pitcher, then add the rinds.
5. Chill until very cold and serve in tall glasses over ice.
Makes 2 quarts.
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