When life gives you lemons…

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then find someone whose life has given them vodka. And have a party… Or something like that…

So we’re finally in our last ‘official’ month of winter. YAAAY!!  And on that note, I thought the perfect way to celebrate the coming of summer would be to write a post on lemonade, a sugar-free lemonade. A refreshing drink for when tanning on the beach or after jumping out of the swimming pool. The sugar replacement recipe I use is a mixture of half a teaspoon of stevia to one cup xylitol. I feel this recipe definitely works the best for me.

I have posted three recipes for my favourite types of sugar-free lemonades, but there are so many different variations out there, so feel free to take a bit of creative licence. These recipes below are for lemonade concentrates and should be mixed with your preference of either still or sparkling water. I advise sparkling, but that’s up to you. What I also occasionally do, is add a bit of gin, tequila, rum or vodka and turn it into a lemonade cocktails, which tastes amazing!

Classic Lemonade

Serves 4

8 lemons; squeezed

2 cups stevia/xylitol mixture

 

Combine both ingredients and stir. Then heat in the microwave at 30second intervals, stirring after each interval, making sure the stevia/xylitol mixture is properly dissolved into the lemon juice.

Mix with your choice of still or sparkling water to taste and add ice.

Strawberry, basil and black pepper Lemonade

Serves 4

500g strawberries

A handful fresh basil

2 Tbsp black pepper; ground

half a cup stevia/xylitol mixture

 

Add strawberries and stevia/xylitol mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the berries start to form a chutney like consistency.

Then add your basil, leaving a few leaves for garnishing, and black pepper. Cook for 5min more, then take off the heat.

Strain the mixture through a sieve and mix with four cups of your classic lemonade mixture.

Mix with your choice of still or sparkling water to taste, add ice and garnish with a grind or two of black pepper and a leaf of basil.

Cucumber and mint Lemonade

Serves 4

3/4 medium cucumber; peel left on

A handful of mint

 

Juice your cucumber, with the peel still on. Stir in your mint, leaving a few leaves for garnishing.

Add 4 cups of your classic lemonade mix and stir again.

Serve with ice and top with three or four mint leaves.