Inspiration & Recipes

A WHOLE LOTTA LEMON

When life gives you lemons, sip some lemonade #bythefire! Summer doesn’t feel like summer without an ice-cold glass of this refreshing classic. But there’s so much more to the world of lemonade than the overly sweet yellow powder of childhoods past. We’ve discovered a wealth of ways to dress it up, spice it up and spike it up for the adults. Here’s a roundup of our favorite recipes—and proof that homemade is ALWAYS better.

A glass of lemonade with ice and lemons on a table.

Strawberry Lemonade

You'll need:

  • ½ pound of strawberries, stems removed
  • 6-8 medium-sized fresh lemons
  • Equal parts water and white sugar
  • Ice


How to:

  1. Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processer.
  2. Make a simple syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water, bringing to a simmer and stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. While the syrup is cooling, juice your lemons. Strain into a pitcher through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fine particles.
  4. Add the cooled syrup and pureed strawberries to the pitcher and stir to combine.
  5. Serve over ice in glasses garnished with fresh berry slices!

Spicy Chili Mango Lemonade

You'll need:

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and pureed
  • Equal parts water and white sugar
  • Two lemons Chili powder or Tajin seasoning
  • Splash of hot sauce
  • Ice


How to:

  1. Make a simple syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water, bringing to a simmer and stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. While the syrup is cooling, add the pureed mango, the lemon juice and water into a large pitcher and stir to combine.
  3. Once the syrup has cooled, add that to the pitcher and stir once again.
  4. Rim glasses with Tajin seasoning or chili powder and fill up the glasses with ice and the mango lemonade.
  5. Add a splash of hot sauce to each glass before serving.

Salty Preserved Lemon Soda (one serving)

You'll need:

  • One wedge of preserved lemon
  • Lemon-flavored soda water
  • Sugar, to taste
  • Ice

How to:

  1. Muddle the preserved lemon slice in the bottom of your glass.
  2. Pour soda water over the lemon and stir in a few spoonfuls of sugar to taste.
  3. Stir, add ice and enjoy!

Earl Grey Arnold Palmer

You'll need:

  • 4 Earl Grey teabags
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • Honey to taste
  • Mint, for garnishing


How to:

  1. Place Earl Grey teabags into a heatproof vessel. Pour in four cups of boiling water.
  2. Once it’s steeped for about five minutes, remove the teabags.Stir in honey to your taste (more if you like a sweeter drink!).
  3. Let the mixture cool.
  4. Stir lemon juice into the cooled mixture and add more honey if you prefer. 
  5. Pour over ice, and garnish each glass with a fresh lemon slice and some fresh mint.

Kentucky Bourbon Lemonade

You'll need:

  • 1.5 oz. bourbon
  • 3 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Ice
  • Ginger ale
  • Lemon wheel and mint, for garnishing 

How to:

  1. Combine bourbon, ice and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Shake until the cocktail shaker becomes too cold to hold. Strain into an ice-filled glass. 
  3. Top with ginger ale 
  4. Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh mint and enjoy fireside!
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