Soft Drinks / Tea / Lemonade Recipe

Make simple syrup

Combine 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves (about 2–3 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Juice lemons

While the syrup cools, juice fresh lemons until you have 1 cup of strained lemon juice. Remove seeds and strain pulp if you prefer clearer lemonade.

Combine and adjust

In a pitcher, combine the cooled simple syrup, 1 cup lemon juice and 3 cups cold water. Stir well, taste, and adjust sweetness or acidity by adding more water (to mellow) or more syrup/lemon juice as desired.

Chill and serve

Add 4 cups of ice and lemon slices to the pitcher or individual glasses. Garnish with mint leaves if using. Serve cold.

Brew tea

Place 4 teaspoons loose black tea (or 4 tea bags) into a heatproof pitcher. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the tea. Cover and steep 4–6 minutes depending on desired strength (4 minutes for lighter, up to 6 for stronger).

Sweeten while warm

Remove tea bags or strain leaves. While the tea is still warm, stir in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or equivalent simple syrup) until dissolved. If you prefer unsweetened tea, omit this step.

Cool and serve

Let the tea cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (about 30–60 minutes). To serve, fill glasses with ice, pour chilled tea over ice and add lemon wedges and additional sweetener if desired.

Mix sparkling lemonade

In a pitcher or individual glasses, combine 2 cups chilled lemonade with 2 cups chilled sparkling water. Stir gently to preserve fizz. Taste and adjust ratio for sweetness/fizziness.

Serve

Serve immediately over ice, garnished with lemon twists or slices. Use mint for additional aroma if desired.