Lemonade

Lemonade Recipes using Fresh lemons ...See Below

  1. Hard Lemonade
  2. Indian Style Lemon Cordial
  3. Lemon Soft Drink
  4. Lemon Cordial

 

1. Hard Lemonade (Alcoholic)

This recipe makes a semi-sweet alcoholic lemonade of about 4.5% strength. You can vary the sweetness by varying the amount of lactose in the recipe or make it dry by leaving the lactose out altogether (see notes)

You will need: (all items available here)

  • A 25 or 30 litre fermenter with a tap
  • Enough bottles for 20 litres of lemonade…
  • Carbonation Drops
  • A sachet of No Rinse Sanitiser
  • Glass Beer Bottles caps and capper  or PET Bottles with reusable screw caps

Ingredients:

  • 2kg dextrose / glucose
  • 500g lactose
  • 12-24 lemons, sliced or chopped fine including peel
  • up to 50g crushed or grated fresh ginger (optional)
  • 5g yeast nutrient
  • 1 sachet Mangrove Jacks M02 Cider yeast
  • Water to make up 22 litres of wort

Method:

  • Heat 5 litres of water then add dextrose, lactose, lemons & ginger & simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Sterilize your fermenter according to directions on the sterilizing compound.
  • Add about 12 litres of cold water into your fermenter. Pour the hot mixture through a straining bag (available at homebrew suppliers) into the fermenter.
  • Top up with cold water to the 22 litre mark add the yeast nutrient & stir well.
  • Make sure the temperature is 30C or less & add the yeast, fit a fermentation lock in the lid of the fermenter & half fill it with water.
  • The fermentation should start within a few hours It usually only takes a couple of hours to start. When it starts, bubbles should be rising through the lemonade & and you will see pressure in the water level in the airlock.
  • Allow the lemonade to ferment until it stops then allow it to settle & clear for 48 hours. If you have a hydrometer check to see fermentation is complete.
  • Add carbonation drops to each bottle as per directions on the pack.
  • Fill the bottle to about 50mm from the top then seal it firmly with a crown seal or screw cap.
  • Store these bottles at room temperature for a couple of weeks to allow them to condition (become fizzy). They will now be ready to drink.

You can vary the quantities of lemons & ginger to suit your own taste.

Notes:

You cannot use sugar or glucose to sweeten a bottle fermented drink like this because it simply ferment in the bottle and in an extreme case it will cause the bottles to explode. This lemonade is sweetened with lactose which is a non-fermentable sugar. You can add more or less lactose to suit your own taste. As a rough guide, lactose is about half as sweet as sugar.

 

 

2. Indian Style Lemon Cordial

Ingredients:

  • 200ml water
  • 400ml maple syrup
  • 150ml lime juice
  • 200ml lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbs Freshly grated ginger
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne, optional

 

Method:

  • Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
  • Heat to boiling & simmer gently for a couple of minutes.
  • Cool & store in bottles in the fridge.
  • Mix with water to taste (about 1 part cordial to 5 parts water)

 

 

3. Lemon Soft Drink

This lemonade actually has a tiny bit of alcohol, but it will only be 0.5% or less so it is a "soft" drink.

You will need: (all items available here)

  • A 25 or 30 litre fermenter with a tap
  • Enough bottles for 20 litres of lemonade…
  • Carbonation Drops
  • A sachet of No Rinse Sanitiser
  • Glass Beer Bottles caps and capper  or PET Bottles with reusable screw caps

Ingredients

  • 300g dextrose / glucose
  • 1kg lactose
  • 12-24 lemons, sliced or chopped fine including peel
  • up to 50g crushed or grated fresh ginger (optional)
  • 5g yeast nutrient
  • 1 sachet Mangrove Jacks M02 Cider yeast
  • Water to make up 22 litres of wort

Method:

  • Heat 5 litres of water then add glucose, lemons & ginger & simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Sterilize your fermenter according to directions on the sterilizing compound.
  • Add about 12 litres of cold water into your fermenter. Pour the hot mixture through a straining bag (available at homebrew suppliers) into the fermenter.
  • Top up with cold water to the 22 litre mark add the yeast nutrient & stir well.
  •  Make sure the temperature is 30C or less & add the yeast, fit a fermentation lock in the lid of the fermenter & half fill it with water.
  • The fermentation should start within a few hours It usually only takes a couple of hours to start. When it starts, bubbles should be rising through the lemonade & and you will see pressure in the water level in the airlock. It is ready to bottle as soon as it starts fermenting. If you delay the bottling, the lemonade will be flat.
  • Stir the mixture & fill each bottle to about 50mm from the top then seal it firmly with a crown seal or screw cap.
  • Store these bottles at room temperature for a couple of weeks to allow them to condition (become fizzy). They will now be ready to drink.

 

 

4. Lemon Codial

Ingredients:

  • 2kg sugar
  • 1.5 litres boiling water
  • 60g citric acid 
  • 6 Lemons
  • 30g tartaric acid 

Method

  • Dissolve the sugar, citric acid & tartaric acid in boiling water
  • Grate the zest of 4 lemons and juice all 6 lemons & add to boiling water.
  • Keep the cordial in fridge
  • Mix with water to taste (about 1 part cordial to 5 parts water)

Notes

You can vary the quantities of lemons & ginger to suit your own taste.