I borrowed a book from the library recently that included this recipe. I can't remember the book's exact title, but it was along the lines of "The way Grandma did it", and it was mostly recipes, house-keeping and gardening tips.
My Dad scribbled down the recipe for Old Fashioned Lemonade and after he'd made some and liked it I decided to try it too. It was very simple, took maybe 15 minutes and made a very refreshing drink that will do well over the coming Summer months.
I made it with tap water the first time, but I am tempted to try it with sparkling to make it more "like soft drink", and I am also keen to try different juice flavours. As we have a few Mandarin trees, a Lemonade tree, an Orange and a newly purchased Lemon tree, I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to try combinations over the years :)
Ingredients
1 cup of tap water
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of freshly squeezed juice (I strained my to rid it of pulpy bits)
Extra water, still or sparkling, to taste (the recipe I used called for 3-4 cups, but for my taste I added closer to 6 cups, otherwise it was far too strong!)
Method
Mix 1 cup of water with sugar. Dissolve the sugar over a low heat, stirring slowly. You can tell it's done when the water is clear, and no longer cloudy.
Squeeze juice and strain if desired.
Add juice and sugar syrup to a 2 litre jug, and fill to taste with extra water.
Notes
I gave the jug a quick stir before pouring so the consistency and flavour remained even. Approximately 2 litres of this kept well for 5 days in our fridge, I suspect it would last longer but we drank it all ;)
