The allure of a freshly squeezed lemonade has the promise of nostalgia, relaxation and cooling. Every summer I indulge in the nectar of the citrus-gods, only to face the consequences of too much processed sugar. So I armed myself with a bag of sunny lemons (blessed be Trader Jo's super affordable lemons) and alternative sweeteners to find the perfect lemonade recipe without process sugar and, after many trial, here are the recipes.
Agave Lemonade
This version tastes the best, I would even say that it taste better than traditional lemonade. I know, I said it. Just be aware that if using raw agave syrup the color be be rather dark - think of it as a tanned lemonade.
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of agave nectar
8 cups of water
Shake mixture as hard as you can, you can add more water or agave nectar according to your taste, but this is a good basic recipe. If doing an individual glass, squeeze half a lemon into a glass, add equal volume of agave nectar and then fill the glass with one cup of water.
Honey Lemonade
I thoroughly enjoy the taste of honey, and this is my favorite lemonade.
1 cup of honey
1 cup of hot water
3/4 cup of lemon juice
8 cups of cold water
First you have to prepare a honey syrup by stirring in the honey with the hot water, over low heat till blended. Let the mixture cool. Sometimes I prepared the syrup ahead of time and you have keep it in the refrigerator, the honey won't precipitate out of the mixture. To prepare the lemonade, add lemon juice and cold water to the honey syrup and stir well. If you want to do an individual batch, you can use the juice of half a lemon, about 4 tablespoons of honey syrup and add 1 cup of cold water.
I enjoy mixing lemon and limes when preparing lemonades, I find the mixture irreverent and uplifting. So next time summer gives you lemons (or limes), you know what to do.
