Jul 14 2026

Drinks Recipe

Time15m
Serves4

sparkling water, soda, lemonade

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Ingredients

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Sparkling Water (single serving)

Classic Soda (single serving)

Fresh Lemonade (about 4 servings)

Method

Sparkling Water (single serving)

  1. 1

    Chill and garnish

    Fill a tall glass with 4 ice cubes. Pour 12 fl oz of cold sparkling water over the ice. Garnish with 1 lemon slice and 1 mint sprig. Serve immediately.

Classic Soda (single serving)

  1. 2

    Serve soda

    Fill a glass with 4 ice cubes. Pour 12 fl oz of your chosen soda (cola or lemon-lime) into the glass. Squeeze the lime wedge over the soda, drop it in if desired, and serve.

Fresh Lemonade (about 4 servings)

  1. 3

    Make simple syrup

    In a small saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water (drawn from the 4 cups). Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid is clear. Remove from heat and let the simple syrup cool to room temperature.

  2. 4

    Juice lemons

    While the syrup cools, juice lemons until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain out seeds and excess pulp if you prefer a smoother lemonade.

  3. 5

    Combine lemonade

    In a pitcher, combine the 1 cup fresh lemon juice, the cooled simple syrup, and the remaining 3 cups cold water (so total cold water used is 4 cups). Stir well and taste. If too sweet, add up to 1/2 cup additional water; if too tart, add up to 2 tablespoons more simple syrup.

  4. 6

    Chill and serve

    Add 8 ice cubes and 4 lemon slices to the pitcher or to individual glasses. Pour into glasses, garnish each with a lemon slice and an optional mint sprig, and serve cold.

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