How to make homemade lemonade – and exciting new flavours to try

Emily Gussin

Food Producer Emily is a champion of sustainability. She started her editorial career on cake magazines before completing a Cordon Bleu diploma to train as a chef. When she’s not developing recipes for delicious. she co-runs supperclub 10 Miles Club.

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Fancy making homemade lemonade from scratch? There’s good reason to try mixing up your own, from total control over the balance of sweet and sour to the chance to experiment with ingredients.

Learn how to make the best homemade lemonade and create flavours you can’t find in the shops with food producer Emily Gussin’s guide. Whether or not life’s been giving you lemons, her sweet and tangy summertime trio of lemonade recipes will quench and refresh in equal measure… Cheers!

How to make homemade lemonade – and exciting new flavours to try

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lemonade stand outside of American cartoons – but when the sun’s out and you don’t fancy booze, a glass of proper lemonade is tough to beat. The stuff in the shops tends to be acidic rather than lemony, but made from scratch it’s a true representation of the citrus fruit’s wonderful flavour.

The syrup method

Good lemonade is all about balance. Tartness, sweetness and effervescence are a potent combo when done right – and if you make a syrup that can be topped up with fizzy water, you have total control over carbonation and strength. You can amp up the sweetness with extra honey or sugar, or add a squeeze of lemon for tang. The syrup will happily sit in your fridge, so it’s on hand for an instant lemonade fix whenever you want.

Get experimenting

The concentrated ‘squash’ approach to lemonade is also great for playing around with, as I’ve done with my pink lemonade: try throwing in herbs and/or using different citrus fruit or other berries.

Do it the Brazilian way

Look to South America and Brazil has a completely different take on citrussy drinking, which quickly infuses condensed milk to create something creamier and more indulgent. My version is slightly different but the main elements are there. It’s my favourite non-alcoholic drink for garden sipping – although a splash of gin does turn it into a great cocktail.

Three great lemonades to try

Classic lemonade
Bright, refreshing homemade lemonade is the ultimate thirst quencher and completely different to most of the stuff in the shops. It also means you can tailor the sweetness and tang to your personal taste.

You can make the lemon syrup and keep it chilled for up to 1 week, ready to stir into soda water whenever you need a refreshing drink.

Brazilian-style lemonade
Inspired by Brazilian lemonade, which is made by whizzing up limes with condensed milk, our take has a bit more body to make it delightfully creamy, with added lemon and mint to keep it really refreshing.

Raspberry and pink peppercorn lemonade
Pretty pink lemonade is best made with raspberries for the ideal balance of tart and sweet. We’ve added pink peppercorns for a sophisticated yet subtle kick of fruity spice.

Add a shot of vodka or gin and half a shot of black raspberry liqueur/crème de mûre to turn this into a summer cooler for adults only.

How to make a raspberry sugar-salt rim
Give your lemonade a sophisticated sugar-salt rim by stirring together 1 tbsp freeze-dried raspberry powder, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 tsp salt on a small plate. Moisten the rim of the glass with a wedge of lemon, then press into the raspberry mixture.