About Lemonade
There is nothing quite like quenching your thirst on a hot, steamy day with an ice cold, tangy-sweet glass of fresh lemonade. The beverage is one that almost everyone enjoys. It is easy to make, good any time of the day or during any season, and even boasts advantageous health benefits.
History
Many people consider lemonade an all-American beverage. It goes hand-in-hand with baseball games, picnics or sitting on a sunny beach with your toes in the sand. However, the tangy drink has been around longer than baseball, and even longer than the United States. Actually, ancient Egyptians enjoyed a beverage made of lemon juice and sugar that they referred to as qatarmizat. The popular pink variety of the lemonade we drink today was made on accident by a New Jersey circus vendor in the late 1800s when the red tights of a performer fell off a makeshift clothesline into a batch of lemonade.
Types
In many countries, including Brazil, Canada, Italy and the United States, lemonade is a simple beverage made from lemon juice, water and sugar. Pink lemonade is lemonade dyed with food coloring, grenadine, or other juice such as cranberry, strawberry or cherry juice. In other countries such as Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia, lemonade refers to a carbonated lemon-lime soft drink. Other lemonade concoctions are created using a standard lemonade recipe but substituting a different fruit juice for part of the lemon juice or water, such as raspberry lemonade.
Features
Lemonade in the United States can be made using fresh squeezed lemon juice or from an instant mix that allows you to just add water. To make delicious homemade lemonade, the ratio of the three ingredients to start with is one to one to one. For example, one cup of lemon juice, requires one cup of sugar and one cup of water. To this syrup, add ice and water until the lemonade is the sweetness and consistency that you desire. The beverage will be a pleasant yellow color and should be somewhat tart.
Benefits
Lemon has many healing properties, making lemonade prepared from freshly squeezed lemons a healthful beverage. While most people drink lemonade icy cold, warm lemon juice and water are known to aid digestion and heartburn. The high levels of Vitamin C in lemons means that lemonade is a great immunity booster. Lemon juice is a natural diuretic, warding off urinary tract infections and even lowering high blood pressure. The sunny color and citrus scent of lemonade are natural mood boosters, as well.
Misconceptions
While many people, including celebrities, boast about the cleansing and weight decreasing properties of a so-called lemonade diet, typical lemonade is not a diet food. The beverage consumed on these fasts is a combination of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup rather than a lemon juice, sugar and water mixture. While lemons and therefore lemonade do offer health benefits, the drink does contain a fair amount of sugar and should be consumed in moderation.
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