Give your taste buds a wake-up call with this zesty, refreshing twist on classic lemonade that’s anything but ordinary. This bright, citrus-packed drink is made with not one, but two homemade simple syrups—one infused with fragrant lemon zest, the other naturally sweetened with golden honey. Making your own syrup is easy and totally worth it: just simmer water with sugar (or honey) and your flavorings, then cool. The result is a lemonade that’s perfectly balanced—tangy, sweet and subtly floral. Served ice cold, it’s pure lemony bliss in a glass and ideal for sunny afternoons, backyard barbecues or whenever you need a cool thirst quencher.
Servings: 3 cups
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Lemon Simple Syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Linden Honey Simple Syrup
- 1 cup honey I used Linden honey
- 1/3 cup water
Fresh Lemonade
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 6-8 lemons
- 2 cups cold filtered or bottled water
- lemon slices
- fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
Brown Sugar Lemon Simple Syrup
- Combine 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the lemon zest while the syrup is still warm. Set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.
Linden Honey Simply Syrup
- Combine 1 cup of honey and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until the honey has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
Fresh Lemonade
- Squeeze the lemons through a strainer into a measuring cup. You'll need 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain the fresh lemon juice again, into a pitcher. Add the 2 cups of water and stir to combine. Once the simple syrups have cooled, pick your favorite to add to the lemonade. Stir in the simple syrup and mix to combine. I only used a little syrup but you can sweeten the lemonade to you heart's content.
- Refrigerate the lemonade until it's cold. Add ice when you're ready to serve the lemonade and garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves. The extra simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
