Lemonade: Liquid Sunshine

Not many beverages hearken back to simpler summer times more than lemonade.

It's the stuff of kids, neighbors and makeshift card-table stands under shade trees -- sunshine in a glass.

One sip of the tart-sweet concoction and I am back in grade school with my friends, selling pitchers of the stuff for a nickel per Dixie cup. Oh, the things we were going to do with all our newly earned money! But our big dreams (and our nickels) always seemed to disappear once we got to the neighborhood five-and-dime's candy section.

These days, I will pull a U-turn in traffic to visit some little kid's lemonade stand. Cups of lemonade now cost 25 cents or more, but I always try to tip the kids a buck or so just for the sheer fun of watching their eyes nearly pop out at the prospects of earning so much money so quickly.

There's been a lack of lemonade stands in my summer this year. I am not sure why -- perhaps more families are traveling. Or maybe my lemonade radar needs a tune-up.

I decided the other day after working in the yard for several hours that another glass of water just wasn't going to do the trick. Only lemonade was going to quench this thirst. But because there were no little kids with card tables under any nearby shade trees, I had to do the next-best thing and make some lemonade myself.

My favorite lemonade recipe uses a simple syrup instead of dumping sugar into the lemon and water. In a simple syrup, the sugar is already dissolved, so it blends beautifully with the lemon.

Lisa's Favorite Lemonade

Make a simple syrup by combining 1 c. water and 1 c. sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir frequently until sugar dissolves completely. Pour into glass container. (You can store this in the refrigerator for at least a week.)

To make a full pitcher of lemonade:

Mix one full recipe of simple syrup in a pitcher with the juice of six lemons (I like it pulpy, but you can strain it). Add four cups cold water and mix well. Sometimes I use an equal amount of chilled sparkling water in place of the cold water to add a festive fizz.

Serve in clear glasses with plenty of ice and slices of lemon. Find a shady spot -- and chill.

Do you have a drink recipe to share with Liquid Solutions? Send me an e-mail!