Ok so summer has been looking a bit dodgy, with sunshine a bit lacking, but at least the rain is warmer!   Sun or no sun I love fresh lemonade for summer time supping. This is a great recipe, easy, cheap, very lemony and not too sweet. Its great poured over ice with a sprig of mint, or use it to make summer cocktails. We make this at home all the time and it will last in the fridge for a couple of days (never lasts that long in our house).   If you buy regular lemons they are usually covered with a thin layer of wax to help preserve them in storage.  These need to be scrubbed under a hot tap to get rid of the wax before you use them.   Most organic lemons are un-waxed.

All you need is

750ml water
4 lemons, un-waxed
Caster Sugar 100g
Ice to serve

Fill up the kettle and boil.

Peel off all the yellow zest from the lemons in wide strips using a potato peeler.  If there is a lot of white pith still on the zest, scrape off the worst of it. Put all the zest is a big heat proof jug (a glass one works best, don't use a plastic picnic one, the heat may crack it and the acid from the lemon eats into it).  Add the sugar and then pour in 750ml of boiling water.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. At this stage you can put the jug to one side for an hour or two till completely cool.  If you are in a terrible hurry continue on but it won't be as lemony...  

When the lemonade is cold fish out all the zest.  Cut your peeled lemons in half and squeeze out the juice from them.  Add the juice to the jug.  You can strain everything through a sieve if you don't like bits or the odd pip. To serve half fill a glass with ice and pour in lemonade.   If you like top up with some sparkling water for a light fizz.   If you have any fresh mint roughly chop up some and add with the ice.

This lemonade is a great mixer for a cocktail.  Use crushed ice, add a shot of good vodka like Smirnoff Black Label or Finlandia and mint leaves, and top up with lemonade.  Add a straw and a cocktail parasol (€1.95 for pack of 12) and you are away.  

If making lemonade for cocktails you could add a few sprigs of rosemary to the lemon zest above.  The rosemary tinted infusion makes a very grown up lemonade that works really well with the vodka. You can add a sprig of rosemary to each glass when serving.