Season: November to March. A cool glass of homemade lemonade knocks the commercially produced alternative into oblivion. Once tasted, this will become a favorite thirst quencher. Serve this lemon syrup diluted with cold water as a cool summertime refresher, or mix with tonic water and a splash of Angostura bitters for a nonalcoholic cocktail. You can also use oranges as well as lemons.
Recipe information
Yield
makes two to three 16-ounce bottles
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Scrub the lemons and pare the zest from 4 of them. Bring a pan of water to a boil, drop in all of the lemons, and leave for 1 minute. Lemons are often quite hard and unyielding–this will soften them, and they will give more juice when squeezed. Lift out the lemons and keep the lemon-infused water to one side. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and measure out 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of it.
Step 2
Put the sugar, lemon zest, and 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the lemon-infused water into a saucepan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice and bring just to the boiling point. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a pitcher. Pour immediately into hot, sterilized bottles (see p. 125) and seal immediately with sterilized screw-caps, corks, or swing-top lids.
Step 3
Let cool, then store in a cool, dry place or the fridge for up to 4 months. For longer keeping–up to 1 year–sterilize the filled bottles in a water bath (see p. 125).
Step 4
To serve, mix 1 part syrup to 4 parts water.
P.S.
Step 5
Another way to increase the yield of juice from citrus fruits is to roll the fruit back and forth over a work surface, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand, for 2 to 3 minutes.
