Lemonade

The first lemonades were created in the 1540s in Paris. Lemonade, in its uncarbonated form, is among the oldest of commercial soft drinks, dating at least back to the 17th century.

In Paris in 1676, a business called the Compagnie de Limonadiers was formed and granted monopoly rights to sell lemonade, which their vendors dispensed in cups from tanks carried upon their backs. The French term limonade has since come to mean "soft drink" in many languages.

For centuries, the drink of Summertime, this recipe comes from The House Servant's directory, originally published in 1827 by Robert Roberts. The directions are easily followed today to create and authentic and refreshing drink.

Excellent Lemonade

Take one gallon of water, put to it the juice of ten good lemons, and the zeasts of six of them likewise, then add to this one pound of sugar, and mix it well together, strain it through a fine strainer, and put it in ice to cool; this will be a most delicious and fine lemonade.

Classic Lemonade for Six

1 cup sugar

6 cups water (divided)

1 cup lemon juice (or the juice from 6 lemons)

Lemon slices for garnish

Make a "simple syrup" by heating sugar and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir together the remaining water, lemon juice and simple syrup. Make adjustments to taste. Chill for an hour, or add ice to cool. Serves 6.

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