What could be better than a nice cold drink on a hot day? So we’re sharing 2 recipes for homemade lemonade with you. They are good, not too sweet and above all they are refreshing.
Preparation for the 2 homemade lemonade recipes
Before you start making lemonade, there is a little first step that will ensure the success of this good drink. First, get bottles with mechanical caps to withstand the pressure of fermentation. Sterilise them by filling them with boiling water, then wait 5 minutes before emptying them.
Easy homemade lemonade recipe
| Difficulty: Easy | Prep: 20 mins | Fermentation : 3 days |
Ingredients for 3L of homemade lemonade
- 3 litres of water
- 300g sugar
- 2 lemons (or other citrus fruits such as oranges, bergamots, etc)
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of rice
- 1 handful of sultanas
The recipe
Before starting, you can boil the water to purify it (especially if it is chlorinated). Then it’s very simple!
- Pour the water (at room temperature) into a large container that can be closed.
- Add all the ingredients: sliced lemons, sugar, vinegar, rice and sultanas.
- Close the jar.
- Stir the jar every day.
- After 2 or 3 days, when the raisins rise to the surface, it is ready!
- Filter the contents, then bottle it.
The bubbles will come by themselves, as if by magic! You will have a good lemonade, not too sweet. Keep the full bottles at room temperature for a few days to perfect the fermentation (it will be more sparkling). Then put in the fridge and enjoy.
Recipe for homemade fermented lemonade with juniper berries
| Difficulty: Intermediate | Prep: 10 mins | Fermentation : 3 days |
Ingredients for 3L of homemade lemonade
To make the liquid leaven
- 500ml of water
- 6 tablespoons handmade honey (not too strong taste like acacia)
To make the lemonade
- 2.5 liters of water
- 2 cups juniper berries
- 250g sugar or honey
- the liquid leaven
Recipe
The liquid leaven
- Mix the ingredients in a sterilized and closed jar.
- Leave to stand at room temperature.
- Mix the liquid twice a day. After 2 days, bubbles will appear, a sign that fermentation is taking place and that the ferment is ready.
The lemonade
Now that you have your liquid starter, you can move on to making lemonade. If you don’t have time right away, put it in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature a little before this second step and add a little honey to reactivate it.
- First, mix the water and juniper berries and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to continue the infusion for 20 minutes. Then let it cool to avoid killing the yeast in the liquid ferment.
- Strain and place it in a large container. Then add the sugar or honey.
- Then add the liquid ferment and place a piece of cloth to cover the opening. Keep it in the shade.
- After a few days, bubbles will form. Fermentation starts, you can finally bottle it.
Are they available at the campsite?
Not yet, but we have talented producers in the region. So we offer the artisanal lemonade at our bar, it is made in Ardèche by ES vinaigrerie. Yes, vinegar and lemonade have very similar origins, due to their fermentation.
Finally, on the homemade side, we make:
- an organic peach iced tea, almost like the industrial one but much better!
- a hibiscus drink, with lemon and mint, without sugar and also very refreshing!
– Romain
