I think you can substitute Honey for Sugar, but I'm not sure what ratio... last time I just made some stab at it. But if you're using hot water to begin with, this isn't so big a deal.

From a quick search on the web I found that one cup of honey is equivalent to 1 cup of sugar. But since honey has more liquid in it, if you do a substitution, reduce the water in your recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used.

I find that this classic recipe is greatly enhanced with just one capful of pure lemon extract. That little bit of lemon "oomph" covers a multitude of sins if you have not terribly flavorful lemons. I frequently hear "My Lemonade never tastes as intense as yours." Now you know why.

It was great! Thank you for a fabulous lemonade recipe! We tried it in our class and the children loved it. We didn't know we were supposed to dissolve the sugar and water first. We also used fresh, homegrown lemons, which made it even tastier!
MAHALO FROM HAWAII!

If you use a vegetable peeler and peel a few thin sections of some lemons befor you squeeze them you can add this to the sugar and hot water to seep for a few minutes this gives more depth of flavour.

Putting the lemons in the microwave for ten seconds makes the juices come out easier if you don't have a juicer. I just saw this technique of dissolving the sugar in the water on TV. It sounds great.

Is it possible to use raw cane sugar?

Here's another great lemonade recipe. Makes 1 liter

Ingredients:

6 teaspoons brown sugar
2 lemons, washed and rinsed.

Add the sugar and the lemons whole (skin, seeds and all)to a blender with a little water. Filter and add to the rest of the water. That's it.

Almost instant lemon water :-) (and big lemon saver, too). Won't last long because you're blending the skin and the seeds, which are quite sour; best before 24 hrs.

Good point to add: 1 cup sugar + 1 cup water makes a syrup that you can use for all sorts of purposes. If you make sure you simmer it just long enough for the sugar and water molecules to bond, it'll keep on the shelf for a while. Add any extract to make a syrup for adding to other drinks (vanilla, for example). It's a trick I learned working in an ice cream store.

When I first made lemonaid I used 2 cut up 3 wax free lemons, put them in my smoothie maker with some sugar and a little water and blend them up and then strain them and then add fizzy water. :) It's really nice.. Think I'll give yours a go tho..

Wow! You made my day with this recipe.

What's more, lemonade is a healthy & tasty, yet cheap drink, compared to a commercial junk like sprite/fanta/you-name-it. Way to go!

I am from Thailand,in my country we love to add salt to any kind of drink that kind of sour. So next time you try making your lemonade put a little of salt in to it. Becareful not to make it too salty that people realize but just to add some dept to your drink, Cheers!

I'm Vietnamese and have fond memories of my mom making me "lemonade". Vietnamese "lemonade" is actually made with lime and seltzer water, and is really called Soda Chanh. I make it by squeezing half of a lime into a large glass, spooning sugar in until it becomes gritty yet syrupy, then adding seltzer water and of course ice. Its delicious and very easy to make.

Elise, try adding some light cream (table cream?) to it in a blender... here: http://fromourhometoyours.blogspot.com/2007/01/fresh-start-comear-de-novo.html
Sorry, in portuguese! Fernanda can help you... Your syrup is sure worth it a try, limes are about 50c a pound here at this time of year.

Made lemonade to sell at a gala, fundraising for a public pool for Waiheke this past weekend. It was a great hit, on a hot day.

I used your proportions Elise, but this time used Donna Hay's method. Her idea is to mix the sugar and the lemon juice to make the simple syrup. Bottled the lemon syrup and used chilled soda water to dilute it.

Thanks for the idea.

Thanks for the correct proportions! I've been winging it for years, and it never came out quite right until I tried this. My kids and neighbors picked a bunch of lemons today and really wanted a treat, and it was so easy. So glad I could accommodate them!

This works very well! I tried it and it tasted AWESOME! If a 12 year-old can make it, anyone can. I love simple and tasy recipes =)

Dear Elise, thanks for the lemons recipe. It's great for summers :-)
and it's great for 12 year olds.

We were recently at a garden dinner party on a very warm evening. The hostess made a pitcher of lemonade and served it as a cocktail by adding a small amount of vodka to each glass. It was a delicious and refreshing accompanyment to the appetizers that were being served!

We live in The Gambia in West Africa and we have thousands of lemons dropping off the trees around us in our new house... we were trying to figure out what to do with them all, now we have the "perfect" answer!

Thank you!

This is seriously the most simple most delicious lemonade recipe! It is easy enough for the kids to make it for their lemonade stands.

It also makes a very refreshing adult drink. Add vodka, or even make lemonade-margaritas with Tequila and Gran Marnier. They were both a hit at our last BBQ.

This is an awesome recipe the best lemonade and my first time making homemade lemonade. My 4yr old loves it and so will my guests at my candle party tomorrow night :D
Thanks for the recipe

If you add half a cup of fresh raspberries that you have mushed up you have a really tasty raspberry lemonade.

I just love this lemonade. It's perfect for a summer picnic. My children love it! I have tested many homemade lemonades, some too sweet, some too sour, some don't even taste like lemonade, but this is the BEST lemonade recipe I have ever made. My children want to say something:

Brianna (11) : The lemonade is amazing. I love to make the lemonde with my mom cause it's just so fun. And it turned out really good.

Daniel (7) : I like the lemonade because my mom made it and it is sweet.

Claire (5) : The lemonade is sweet and I like it.

Thank You for the Recipe,

Melissa, Brianna, Dnaiel, and Claire Reed of Manhattan, New York

This sounded like a great recipe, so I decided to try it. But, when I squeezed the lemon juice, I only had 2/3 of a cup. So I got creative and added 1/3 cup of strawberry juice. Then I followed the recipe, as you put. It ended up coming out quite well.

Elise,
Thanks for the recipe - haven't tried it yet as there is a tree in the yard and the lemons are just starting to drop! Last week in the park we bought some fresh-squeezed lemonade. The lady at the stand said to use castor sugar because it will dissolve more quickly and completely. We are going to try that with your recipe.
Tim and Monique, Western Australia

Note from Elise: With the recipe shown here there is no need for castor sugar or super fine sugar, as the sugar is completely dissolved in boiling water.

We can also add some mint leaves to our prepared lemonade or we can crush few leaves and add to the lemonade. It's more refreshing. I usually have mine with a pinch of rock salt and a dash of black pepper.

When you make your simple syrup add 14 ginger slices (about 3-4 thumbs worth - or 1/4 of a cup or to taste).... Some people leave them in, but I would recommend taking them out after the simple syrup is made, makes it too strong for me.

This will make a lovely refreshing Ginger Lemonade, which is simply wonderful. It cuts the tartness of the lemons and makes it something to savor.

I absolutely loved this recipe. I added 5 cups of cold water instead of 4, and it came out perfect. It was just the right combination. It was very, very easy for me to make and was well worth it.

I was wondering if you can add sparkling mineral water to it instead of water?

Of course, that would be great. ~Elise

Wow.. Just in reading this recipe... I can't wait to get out of work and to the grocery store to make some refreshing, homemade lemonade! Just out of curiousity, will LIMES do? or half and half?

Limes work great, or half limes and half lemons. ~Elise

When making the simple syrup, I love to add a vanilla bean to it to add some lovely vanilla flavor. Of course, lemonade and a bit of vanilla or lemon vodka is equally tasty!

Dear Elise
I usually make lemonde for about 7 or 8 people. In addition to sugar (1 tbsp.per glass dissolved in hot water, then cooled before adding lemon juice), the juice and the solids (that are scraped off while juicing), I grate one of the lemons and add the grated peel to the mixture. The grated peel is not dominant but adds a tang or "bite" to the taste. This is utterly delicious and shoulds be served only to special and deserving company.

We have made lemonade for years with Lemon juice in the bottle. Put 1 cup juice, 1cup of sugar, and a capful of almond extract in a 2 quart container. Fill with water. Add sliced strawberries and lemons to the top for decoration.

This is great on a hot day or just any day.

Enjoy.

Pretty hot day today and felt like drinking some fresh lemonade.
The method is great and I think the measures are good, although I found it a little too sweet... But then again, I tasted it right before putting it in the fridge. Will see in 30 minutes.
Thanks :)

I just made your lemonade with fresh California lemons from my backyard and it was delicious! We are pretty low on regular sugar so I just used powdered sugar instead and I used a cup and a half of lemon juice because I like my lemonade tart.

Very yummy and like you said, the sugar mixed in perfectly. Thanks!

Elise-
I am in charge of a lemonade sale for a community fundraiser in a few weeks. We want to prepare about 300 servings. We will use 16oz. cups, but serve about 12oz. of the lemonade over ice. Any suggestions about how to scale up your recipe. I plan on spending the day before, squeezing lemons and making simple syrup. Any ideas on how to "fancy it up". There is desire by some to embellish and charge a bit more. Personally, I love it plain and simple, but I will keep an open mind

Thanks for any help---Rose

Hi Rose, your guess is as good as mine on the scaling. I would make more than you think you might need of the lemon juice and the simple syrup. Keep them separate. That way, if you have leftovers, you can freeze the concentrated lemon juice, and the simple syrup lasts a long time in the fridge. For something extra special, grate the lemon zest and add it to the simple syrup as you are cooking the syrup. Strain it out before using. That will give your lemonade an extra lift. Also add some fresh mint leaves to glasses or the serving pitchers. ~Elise

This recipe is great! I love making it on hot steamy Canadian summer.
:p

I want to make lemonade to sell at a fundraising event and was wondering how far in advance could I make up this lemonade. Will it keep for a few weeks?

No, the lemonade as made will not keep for a few weeks. If you want to make ahead, I suggest juicing the lemons and freezing the juice, and making the simple syrup, and keeping that refrigerated. The put it together the day before your event. ~Elise

I just made this and it is no joke - this lemonade is truly the best I have ever had!

I added the small amount of lemon extract K suggested, but only because my fresh lemons were a bit on the mild side. Fabulous!

This was great! I was at a local farmers market and my friend paid $3.00 for lemonade that tasted exactly like this one!

Delicious!

What if you already have sugar syrup from the super market?

Use it; it saves you a step. The proportions you will have to mix to taste. ~Elise

Did the basic recipe: Wonderful ! Added a cap of lemon extract: Wonderfuller ! Sprinkled a coupla pinches of salt: Wonderfulist ! I'll try the ginger next (and the almond? - - - y'know, I've got some coconut extract that I use in biscotti - - - maybe a dram or two ?

I love this recipe, I also added some lemon peel and fresh mint into the syrup mixture. Delicious!

I have been given fresh lemons from a friends tree here in spain, and couldn´t remember how lemonade was made. I do now!! Thank you

That recipe worked pretty well.
I loved it!
jackie♥

I've made this with Splenda if you're looking for a sugar free version. This way, you don't have to make the simple syrup since the Splenda dissolves quickly.

It's quite tasty!

Really hot day so decided to make this recipe, very delicious and refreshing and easy to make. Thanks!

Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Of course everyone knows how to make lemonade, and I was doing it in the normal way. And then I wanted to find a better way to make it for my husband's surprise bday dinner. I found this and you know what? My husband, who is a huge fan of lemonade and who chooses it, wherever he goes(I mean restaurents), said this was the best lemonade he ever had! Better than the ones he drink at restaurents. I was so happy. This simple recipe made his bday dinner extra special and memorable. Thank you soo much.

This was a wonderful recipe. Not too sour, not too sweet. I used 3/4 cup of sugar instead of the full cup, and it came out perfect! Thanks!