Classic Lemonade

I hope my fellow Americans had a festive (and hopefully work-free) Independence Day. Mr Official Taster and I both had the day off. Last week I figured out that there would be fireworks practically in our backyard right behind our apartment, so we invited some friends over for dinner and a show. We had a mix of diets and allergies, but everything turned out really well. Burgers, veggie burgers, marinated vegetable skewers, fresh watermelon and strawberries, potato salad, pickled cucumbers, cake, and cookies. Plus various libations. To dress up the table, I, er, borrowed lavender stems from the neighborhood landscaping and stuck them in two IKEA vases I've had for years. It was a pretty good feast, if I do say so myself.

In addition to all of those super classic picnic or bbq dishes, I also made some lemonade. You know, the kind from actual lemons. ohmyitsogood. I even broke down and a got a little $2 juicer to save myself from squeezing the juice of 8 lemons. I've done it before, and it took just about forever. The juicer works better.

Anyway, aside from juicing lemons, this lemonade is a cinch to make and the resulting drink is oh-so-refreshing. It still has a good amount of tang with just a touch of sweet. You could add some alcohol and make it extra festive, but, honestly, it doesn't need it. It's that good.

Classic Lemonade
adapted, barely, from Gourmet Today

2 C fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
1 - 1 1/3 C superfine sugar*
6 C water

Stir together lemon juice and sugar, to taste, in a 3 quart pitcher or large jar. I like the jar-with-a-lid option because it's easy to shake up. Add water and stir to shake to combine.

If serving immediately, pour into glasses filled with ice. Otherwise, refrigerate and be sure to mix before pouring (over ice for extra cold). Gourmet says you can refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 day. I'm convinced it will stay fresh longer than that.

*I only had about 2 Tablespoons of superfine on hand, so I used regular sugar for the remaining amount. It worked fine. I think the reasoning is that superfine will dissolve faster.