It’s a hot summer day with the sun shining overhead and just a hint of a slight breeze. A cold, icy glass of lemonade would go down smoothly and quench your thirst, wouldn’t it? When you think of lemonade, it is likely the lemonade recipe with freshly squeezed lemons, sugar, water and ice. After all, those are the classic ingredients that rarely deviate from one traditional lemonade recipe to another.

While it is true that most recipes incorporate those four basic ingredients, there are some that add a little bit of something extra. It is those extras that have really caught on in the world of lemonade. In order to understand those extras, you have to grasp the basic lemonade recipe that many people around the world know and love.

1 cup of fresh lemon juice (5 – 8 lemons, freshly squeezed)

6 cups cold water

¾ to 1 cup sugar

Slices of lemon

In a pitcher, combine the lemon juice and cold water. Slowly stir in the sugar, tasting periodically until you reach the desired sweet-tart taste. Once the lemonade is well blended, serve in glasses of ice and garnish with a slice of lemon. (Please note: bottled lemon juice may be used in lieu of freshly squeezed lemons but the taste will not be as snappy.)

These days you can buy lemonade in a can or bottle and often times, flavored lemonades are available as well. You can make your own homemade flavored lemonade using the traditional lemonade recipe above and adding fruit syrup like raspberry, strawberry or any other type of flavor.

In some countries like Brazil, a little bit of condensed milk is added to the lemonade recipe to create a creamier, more substantial drink. In India, there is a special spice called jaljira powder that is added to a recipe to create spiced lemonade. In some countries like England and Australia, lemonade refers to a carbonated lemon-flavored drink.

The United States also has a lemonade recipe which is a blush, pink color called pink lemonade. In this case, some people just add some red food coloring to create this look; however, in other instances, a little grenadine is added for both a slightly different flavor as well as the pink color. Grenadine is a fruit syrup made from a variety of fruits like pomegranate, raspberry or red currant.

All in all, your taste buds should decide which lemonade recipe or variation thereof, you should try. There are quite a few interesting combinations to choose from such as lavender lemonade, watermelon lemonade and even mint lemonade. The best resource to find your favorite lemonade recipe is the internet; just be prepared to weed through countless appealing variations.