The tiny town of Hope, Indiana has an annual fall gathering called Heritage Days. Like most small town yearly events it includes a parade, shopping for junk at little booths, and food. The food is always the best part ! I have such vivid memories of the food from Heritage Days. There was homemade ice cream, funnel cakes, homemade cherry hand pie (fresh fried by the Little Hoosiers for a fundraiser, and if you even know what I’m talking about we are meant to be best friends).
And then there were the lemon shake-ups. I can’t remember who did the booth, the Moravian church maybe, but I can remember loving to watch them make that perfect drink right in front of me. It was the ideal treat for a muggy Indiana afternoon at Hope Heritage Days. When I decided to participate in the Long Valley Farmer’s Market this year I knew that I just had to make and sell the fresh lemonade that I loved so much as a kid.
I had a hard time finding a recipe, so I had to do some serious recipe testing (hard life!). This is the perfect made to order lemonade or lemon shake-up recipe. I know that I could make a big batch of fresh lemonade ahead of time and just pour it from a pitcher, but half the fun is squeezing the lemons right in front of the customer, giving it a shake, and filling the glass. This is a really fun thing to make and sell, but it is also really fun to have at family parties! My kids think it’s so fancy when they get to help make lemonade like this.
And do tell. Does your town have an annual festival of sorts? What’s the best part? And of course, what is your favorite thing to eat?!
Made to Order Lemonade aka Fresh Lemon Shake-ups
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup simple syrup, recipe in the notes
- juice of one lemon
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup ice
Instructions
- Add the simple syrup, lemon juice, and water to a drink shaker and shake until well combined. Pour over ice in a large cup. Add a fresh lemon slice for a garnish if desired. Best. Lemonade. Ever. And if you like it a little more tart, cut the simple syrup down to 1/3 cup.
- If you don’t have a drink shaker just pour everything in the cup and stir. I use the shaker because it strains the lemon seeds out which is nice because I serve my lemonade with a straw. Straws and seeds don’t mix well.
Notes
Simple syrup is even parts sugar and water heated in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water make just the right amount to store in a quart mason jar in the fridge and will make at least a dozen glasses of lemonade.
Can’t you just smell these!
Simple syrup is kind of pretty isn’t it?
This is going to be a citrusy week! Stay tuned.
This looks so good and perfect for the crazy heat here in Cali 🙂
mmm – can’t wait for Saturday!
wow, looks so refreshing. 🙂 Nice pictures.
Best recipe ever! Vendors in our area use undissolved sugar. They shake it, but it still carries a raw , grainy texture and resembles aspirin water. This definately is the best and most refreshing recipe I’ve tasted! Thanks for sharing.
I’m 11 and starting to sell at our farmer’s market. How much do you sell this for?
I sold them for $3 a glass and did really well with it! Good luck, it’s so much fun!
Looks delicious but I have a few quick questions. This recipe has simple syrup as a 1:1 ratio but your Traditional Homemade Lemonade recipe has 1 cup sugar to 2 cups water. Can this recipe be made with the same 1:2 instead to decrease the sugar? Also how long does the simple syrup last in the fridge?
I just add less water at the end so it all ends up even! And simple syrup lasts for a few weeks, it’s just sugar water and sugar is a great preservative!