This kitchen process is taking a lot longer than expected and we haven’t even started demolition yet! Luckily, I go to my mom’s once a week to get her Chinese recipes, but when I’m home, I’m still using only plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) I didn’t foresee having to keep this up for so long but the challenge has been fun. Aren’t you amazed by how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen?

While we were in Kennebunkport, I fell in love with a Lemonade stand. While long lines formed at peak times, they never made the lemonade in batches. We stood on the slow-moving line and watched as the summer teens squeezed lemons (they did have a juicer) and made each cup to order. I happily sipped all the way back to our hotel, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. The citrus accents swirled together with the sea breeze, a real treat for a city girl.

At first, Lon and I talked about what a good formula they had. They got the balance of tartness and sweetness to a perfect T. Yet, with more thought, I realized that this was only half of the secret. I’m willing to bet that the reason this lemonade really beats the rest, is because they make each cup to order.

Lemonade with Ice in background

Cut open a fresh lemon and smell it as soon as the oils of the zest release into the air. Sometimes you can even see the magical mist. Now leave that lemon on the counter for a few hours and smell it again. It will have lost some of that sparkle of life. Making each cup of lemonade to order ensures capturing the vitality and essence of the lemon that diminishes over time after it’s cut.

From now on, I won’t make lemonade in a large pitcher and leave it in the fridge for days. I’ll make it fresh each time I want to drink it. It’s really not that much work and I bet you already have all of the ingredients.

I did provide a formula for what I consider balanced, but feel free to tweak it to your preference. The real secret is making lemonade by the glass.

Lemonade

Lemonade by the Glass
~for one

  • 1 cup water, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons
  • 1 cup (3/4″ cubed) ice

Instructions –

1. Pour water into a large drinking glass. Stir in sugar and dissolve.

2. Quarter and juice the lemons and measure out 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir the lemon juice and ice into the glass. Add a juiced lemon quarter to the glass. Drink immediately.

Lemonade 4

posted by jessica at 08:09 AM Filed under American, Drinks, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.