Honey Lemonade

Back again after 7 months. So I'd like to take things slow.

Let's talk about honey lemonade. It's really the perfect summer drink. Refreshing and just sweet enough for me. And as you'll see, very versatile.

A few weeks ago I read about the benefits of drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning, before coffee. I decided to give it a try. I didn't notice any physical benefits, like feeling more awake or healthier, but I did realize I actually love the taste of hot water and lemon. As much as that makes me sound like I'm 80 years old.

Then I made this honey lemonade for Lucie's second birthday party last weekend. It's extremely easy, but tastes so much better than store-bought stuff. All you have to do is melt honey with water in a pot on the stove, creating a honey simple-syrup (which you could actually flavour in any number of ways - sliced ginger, cut-up fruit, fresh herbs). Then you stir in lemon juice, and you have your lemonade concentrate.

I kept this concentrate in a large Mason jar in the fridge. We stirred in cold water and served it with ice at the birthday party, which everyone loved. Then I started splashing a bit in a mug in the morning and filling it with hot water. I perfect, jazzed-up "lemon water". 

This lemonade is really a great thing to have around.

The original recipe is here, on the wonderful 3191 Miles Apart. They have so much great stuff there, you should take a look around. The author also suggests making this lemonade into popsicles with berries (I plan to try this) and heating it with ginger if you have a cold. We will also be mixing it with gin tonight. And if you really want to get fancy, try using carbonated water to mix it with.

One note - I actually used less honey than she calls for since I don't like things very sweet in general. I used about two-thirds her amount (I doubled the recipe so I did about 2/3 cup honey to 2 cups water). I also used store-bought lemon juice, and it worked fine. You can taste as you go and adjust for how sweet/tart you like it.

Like I said ... good to have around.