If you’ve ever had homemade lemonade, there’s little chance you would want to buy pre-packaged bottles of it again. I find that store bought lemonade is too sugary and often doesn’t have enough real citrus flavor. Luckily, homemade lemonade is one of cheapest and most simple drinks to make. Once you know how to make basic lemonade, adding fruit and other flavors is simple.
Sweetening the lemonade requires a simple syrup to be mixed in. This can be made from any sweetener—sugar, honey, etc. I was inspired by the flavor and benefits of maple and lemon from the Master Cleanse and chose to use maple syrup as my sweetener. For an added flavor and texture, I stirred in some passionfruit pulp. Passionfruit has an intense, sweet tart taste that combines well with the lemon and the seeds add a nice crunch. This lemonade is refreshing in the summertime and can also be enjoyed daily as a morning cleanse drink.
YIELDS
1 liter
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- juice from 3 lemons (1/2 cup)
- 4 passionfruit
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 4 cups water
- 1 fresh sprig basil
- to serve lemon slices
- juice from 3 lemons (1/2 cup)
- 4 passionfruit
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 4 cups water
- 1 fresh sprig basil
- to serve lemon slices
Directions
1. To make the simple syrup, simmer 1 cup of water. Stir in the maple syrup until it melts together.
2. Squeeze the juice from 3 lemons. This should yield about 1/2 cup. Pour this into a large pitcher.
3. Remove the pulp from 4 passionfruit. This should also yield about 1/2 cup. Add the pulp and seeds to the pitcher with the lemon juice. If you don’t want the seeds you can strain them out with a cheesecloth.
4. Pour the simple syrup into the pitcher and add the rest of the water. Stir well.
5. Serve with lemon slices and fresh basil.
