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You can never go wrong with a classic lemonade recipe of lemons, water and sugar. But if you want something a little different to make your concoction unique, you might consider adding a special ingredient to your Lemonade Day offering.

Below, we offer you a simple lemonade recipe and then suggest a few different ingredients you can play with. Adding or swapping out ingredients can set you apart from your competition and help you raise more money!

How to Make Classic Lemonade

There are several recipes out there, but here’s one we recommend.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar

• 5 cups water

• 6 to 8 lemons

• Ice

Instructions:

1. Make simple syrup by combining sugar with one cup of water and simmer over low heat in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Squeeze lemon juice out of lemons until you have one cup of juice.

3. Add simple syrup and lemon juice to the four cups of water and add ice.

4. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Lemonade Variations

Want to try something different? Here are a few ideas.

• Replace the lemon juice with lime juice, and make limeade!

• Add grenadine to your lemonade to make pink lemonade.

• Add thyme or basil to your simple syrup while it cools to give it an herbal flavor. Remove herbs before combining with water and lemon juice.

• Make hibiscus tea and add it to the lemonade for a refreshing hibiscus lemonade beverage.

• Puree and strain blueberries, and add blueberry juice to your lemonade.

• Add mint to your lemonade for an extra refreshing taste.

Before you commit to any of these variations, set aside a small glass of regular lemonade from the batch and then make a small sample of your version. This way you can perfect your recipe one glass at a time. Also, be sure to note additional ingredients in your stand’s signage in case there is someone with an allergy to that item.

Have fun experimenting with your lemonade making!