Lemonade

12 cups
50 calories/cup

Lemonade seems deceptively simple to make, but as they say, the devil is in the details.  Lemons can vary wildly in acidity and flavour based on season, location, and the method of cultivation.  Organic lemons are generally the best, and you can use the zest for other things as well.  The very best lemons aren't available until the fall, so "quick" summer lemonade requires you to be flexible in the quantities of lemon juice in the recipe.  Making a sugar syrup with the zest of the lemon also enhances the taste.

We like our lemonade tart, so there isn't a lot of sugar in the recipe.  Add more if you have a sweeter tooth.

Add:
1/2 cup of sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups of water
to a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir occasionally to make sure the sugar doesn't burn until all of the sugar has dissolved into

Roll:
4 lemons
under the heel of your hand (this will ensure you get all of the juice from them) and cut them in half.  Juice them and pour the juice through a small sieve to remove the pulp and seeds into a 12 cup pitcher.  Half fill the pitcher with water, and then pour in the hot sugar syrup (this will prevent the glass from cracking) and then top up with water. 


Taste the lemonade to make sure it is sufficiently tart and flavourful, and adjust by adding the juice of another
1-2 lemons.
If neccessary.  Chill and serve over ice.

Tip: Assuming you've sprung for organic lemons, rather than waste the peels zest them and dry the zest for use in baking, or candy the peels as a treat!