Fresh Homemade Lemonade Recipes

One of the best parts about warm weather is enjoying homemade juices and other cold drinks. Fresh squeezed lemonade is no exception. Whether you're enjoying a simple family meal at home or throwing a large party, homemade lemonade will add a perfect touch.

There are a lot of great lemonade recipe options. I have divided the recipes here into the following sections:

• Classic. Keep is simple with the basic homemade lemonade recipe.
• Fruit combinations. Lemons make a wonderful pairing with many other fruits.
• Herbs. Who knew that you could add herbs to lemonade. There are a handful of great options.
• Alcoholic. Lemonade is a classic pairing with several types of alcohol.

Once you've started experimenting with new lemonade additions, don't feel limited to the recipe suggestions here. Feel free to experiment with your own new combinations.

• Squeeze fresh lemons. Lemon juice from a bottle will do in a pinch, but there is nothing like fresh squeezed lemons.
• Make a sugar syrup and or fruit or herb syrup. You can mix sugar with cold water, but the result will not be the same. Take the time to boil the sugar in water until it has dissolved completely for optimum results. The same thing applies for fruit and herb lemonade pairings. Many recipes include instructions for these additional syrups.
• Use fresh ingredients whenever possible. Make lemonade from scratch and add seasonal fruits, herbs, and other fresh ingredients.

Tip: Change up the flavors for almost lemonade recipe slightly by using limes instead of lemons.

• Perfect lemonade recipe. This recipe from Simple Recipes includes advice about ingredient ratios for homemade lemonade and steps for making sugar syrup.
• Old fashioned pink lemonade. Color your lemonade pink naturally with cranberry juice.
• Honey ginger lemonade. Take this classic pairing that many people use for hot tea and transform it into a refreshing summer beverage. Alternatively, keep it simple with ginger on its own.
• Black tea lemonade. Don't feel limited to black tea. Pair any favorite tea with homemade lemonade.
• Green frozen lemonade. Have you jumped on the green smoothie band wagon? Try it as a lemonade drink! This drink is beautiful and very healthy.

You can pair lemons with a wide variety of other fruits.

• Sparkling strawberry lemonade. Add a little sparkle to this drink with seltzer.
• Strawberry lemonade. If you don't want the fizz, check out this recipe instead.
• Watermelon lemonade. Take advantage of the fresh watermelon all summer for this delicious lemonade.
• Mango lemonade. Are there others out there who enjoy the exotic specialty lemonades like mango at restaurants? You can make them at home, too!
• Passion fruit lemonade. If you enjoy mango lemonade and are looking for something different, give this a try.
• Blackberry lemonade. This is a perfect option if you don't want a drink that is too sweet.
• Raspberry lemonade. This is another great choice for a not too sweet beverage.
• Sparkling apple lemonade. The apples paired with the lemon create a gorgeous shade of orange.
• Blueberry lemonade. You have to take advantage of the fresh blueberries during summer for this one. The fresh blueberry syrup creates a rich, beautiful drink. Add ginger ale to make a sparkling version.
• Sour cherry lemonade or sweet cherry lemonade. It's good that cherries are seasonal because I would eat way too many of them if they were readily available in the midwest year round. Enjoy a few of them in this lemonade beverage.
• Mixed berry lemonade. If you're having trouble deciding which berries to you, make it easy by including several varieties.

Lemonade with herbs is a perfect choice for the summer when you can use freshly picked herbs from your own garden or the local farmers market. If you don't drink all of the lemonade the day you make it, discard the leaves so they don't turn brown.

• Mint lemonade. Mint is such a classic addition for so many summer drinks.
• Lemonade with rosemary. You only need a sprig or two for a very flavorful drink.
• Lavender lemonade. Lavender turns lemonade a beautiful shade of pink. Make sure to use dried lavender that is intended to be used in the kitchen.
• Strawberry basil lemonade. Make a separate strawberry-basil syrup to pair with strawberry lemon for a delicious kick. You can also make a simpler basil lemonade.
• Rosewater lemonade. If you've enjoyed lemonade at a Mediterranean restaurant, you can capture that flavor yourself with rosewater. It's available at many Middle Eastern and international import grocery stores.
• Jalapeno lemonade. This doesn't quite in with the herbs, but I had to include it somewhere. Change it up by making lemonade with a kick.

It wouldn't be a complete summer drinks article without a few alcoholic options.

• Arnold Palmer. Make this classic yourself from scratch.
• Pink Lemonade Cocktail. This pink lemonade gets its color from grenadine.
• Blackberry-vanilla vodka lemonade. The combination of blackberry and vanilla will wow all of your dinner party guests.