Prep
Cook
Serves
15 mins.
0 mins.
4
Lemonade is one of those drinks that we must have in the summer time. Rather than spending our time and money buying Lemonade at our local Chick-fil-A, I’ve come up with my family’s favorite lemonade that is super close to the sweet, tart Lemonade that Chick-fil-A sells for more money than I want to pay for a weekly gallon of lemonade.
This fresh squeezed Chick-fil-A Lemonade copycat is easily adjusted to your favorite level of sweetness by adding more simple syrup to make it sweeter, or more water to make it less tart. For a Mexican style blended lemonade, known as Lemonada, check out my other Lemonade recipe.
I added a cup of granulated sugar to a cup of very hot water and stirred the two together until the sugar dissolved to make the simple syrup. All of the other ingredients that are added are at room temperature, like the lemon juice, or cool, like the extra water, so taking the time to dissolve the sugar in warm water makes for a smoother drinking lemonade. Trust me, no one wants to drink gritty lemonade from sugar that wasn’t dissolved.
For the juiciest lemons possible, before slicing them, microwave the lemons 2 at a time for about 15 seconds. I cut both ends off before I slice them down the middle. The ends being sliced off makes for easier squeezing through my hand held lemon press. Don’t forget to flip each half of your lemon and squeeze it again, you’ll be surprised how much extra juice you acquire with a simple flip of the lemon half.
I like a tart lemonade with some of the pulp mixed in, but strain the juice if you prefer no pulp. Lemon squeezers sometimes allow small seeds to escape so I like to squeeze my juice into a large bowl and remove any runaway seeds before they make their way into my pitcher of Lemonade. Also, adjust the sugar level to your liking and feel free to use a sugar substitute if you don’t use granulated sugar.
Serve the lemonade over a glass full of ice and add lemon slices from the squeezed lemons to the pitcher and glasses for a little extra color and pretty presentation if you want to wow your guests.
I hope that you’ll try this recipe today and leave a comment below. Also, for updates follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest using the social media icons found on this page.
Microwave the lemons 2 at a time for 15 seconds. Slice off a thin piece from both ends of each lemon and slice it down the center. Squeeze each half of the lemon over a large bowl using a hand held lemon squeezer. Flip each half and squeeze it again to receive the most juice from the lemon halves. You should have about 2 cups of lemon juice from the lemons.
Make the simple syrup by mixing 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of very warm water until the sugar dissolves. Pour it into a large pitcher and then pour the lemon juice and additional 3 cups of cold water over and stir well.
Serve over lots of ice and garnish with lemon slices and the squeezed lemon halves. Store in the refrigerator.
