It’s warm, the windows are open, and I’m surrounded by the sounds of gas-powered lawn equipment — lemonade season is upon us. Lemonade is a classic summertime (or anytime, really) drink. A big pitcher of fresh lemonade is an image that’s right up there with a beach umbrella and a grill full of burgers when you think about the ushering in of warm weather. I live in a household of two, however, so a pitcher of lemonade is really more than I want to make at one time, and I’m not really into the store-bought stuff. Enter: the smashed lemonade method.
There are lots of ways to make lemonade, but this one is by far my favorite. I learned this trick when I was a recipe developer at America’s Test Kitchen. Instead of juicing lemons and then adding the juice to a pitcher with sugar and water, I slice the lemons, add some sugar, and then smash them with a potato masher. It’s easy and I can tailor it to my particular tastes — and I’m going to be doing it all summer.
Smashing the lemons — along with their peels— and sugar together allows the oils from the peel to get into the mixture, pumping up the lemony flavor. This method simplifies the process of making lemonade as well. You’re essentially making a very potent lemon syrup, that you can then add to water in the exact ratio and amount you prefer. You can mix up enough for a large batch, or only smash 1 or 2 lemons for a few glasses of lemonade instead of an entire pitcher’s worth.