When Life Hands You Lemons

There is a saying that goes something like, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". Here is a saying I like better. "When it is a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, make lemonade." Sure it's not quite as catchy, but  it's a lot more practical.

Remember the day when you could drop by a neighbor's house and they'd invite you in for a frosty glass of lemonade? No? Me neither. But I've read about it in books and it sounds lovely. I often wish those were the times in which we lived; it seemed there wasn't a worry that a seat on the porch swing and a glass of lemonade couldn't soothe. While my story doesn't quite hearken back to yesteryear it is a good one.

Last week my friend invited us over for a delicious lunch accompanied by some very tasty limeade; it was during that lunch that I learned a little secret which (I hope she won't mind) I'm now going to share with you.

Zest. Yep. That's it. One word that will change your life, or at least your lemonade. It takes the lemon flavor to a whole new level, packing a punch one cannot achieve with juice alone.

I'm going to play my food snob card here and say that in my opinion lemonade made from a can is not real lemonade. Worse yet is the powdered stuff that used to lurk in my grandmother's cupboard. Sure they can be handy in a pinch, say for instance a large group of dehydrated people happen to come to your house and all you've got is a tray of ice, a faucet, and a minute to spare.  Barring those circumstances it is not okay to serve lemonade that didn't come out of a lemon. Period. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Feel free to tinker with this recipe as you see fit. It would be delicious with limes or a combination of lemons and limes and even tastier if you were, say, to mash around a few mint leaves in your glass before you added your lemon or limeade. Mmm, I think I better go pour another glass!

Zest-y Lemonade

Zest of 1 lemon (I like to use a Microplane, it produces very fine zest)
1 c. lemon juice
1/2-3/4 c. sugar
4 c. water
1 c. ice cubes, plus more for serving

Zest one lemon and place the zest in a pitcher. If you use a box grater to zest your fruit be sure to only get the yellow part and avoid the white pith. Mince the zest very fine so you don't have to chew your lemonade.

Juice 6-8 lemons to yield 1 cup of juice. Pour into pitcher with zest, add sugar to taste, and top with water. Stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar. Add 1 cup ice cubes to chill. Pour into ice filled glasses, find a porch to sit on, and enjoy!