Sweet or Salty Lemonade

By Mark Bittman

Sweet or Salty Lemonade
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(488)
Comments
Read comments

Sweetened, this is a classic all-American beverage for a hot summer's day. But add salt and it becomes a savory treat, much like the limeades served in the Middle East, India or Thailand. With or without salt, this recipe delivers. The proportions of water to juice, sugar and salt are completely a matter of taste, so adjust the recipe as you like. It works equally well with limes as it does with lemons.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; The Salty With the Sweet

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1cup sugar
  • 1cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, pulp and rinds reserved (from about a dozen limes or lemons)
  • 2teaspoons salt, or to taste (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

103 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 129 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small saucepan combine sugar with 1 cup water, and place over medium heat; cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.

  2. Step 2

    In another pan bring 6 cups water to a boil; remove from heat, and add rinds and pulp. Cover, let steep for 10 minutes and then strain.

  3. Step 3

    Combine strained liquid in a pitcher with lime or lemon juice and salt, if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Fruit mixture and sugar syrup can be refrigerated separately for a couple of days, until needed.) Add syrup to taste, and serve over ice.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
488 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Dallas M

Couldn't get my salt level right, so i added a little Tequila, and BAM!! - a wonderful Margurita.

Naani-Daadi

In the way it is prepared in my family, one uses both salt and sugar.
The salt is Himalayan salt. Since it is a summer-time drink, it adds needed electrolytes as well. Crush a couple of mint leaves into it too.

JQ

I overdid the salt, so watch that the next time. Also, I added seltzer to the end product, which helped correct it.

Shanti D.

I have always made lemonade with sugar or honey, lemon, and water to taste and then stirred it up like my mom did. I did this as directed, except with a combination of lemons and limes because I was short on lemons. 6 cups of steeped water resulted in it being too watered down. I added more lime juice (again because I was out of lemons) to true up the ratio and it was really good. I like the idea of releasing the oils from the citrus in the water, I will just dial the water back next time.

Add Seltzer Water!

Followed this recipe and it turned out better than i expected, but made a few tweaks: -I added the rind/pulp directly to sugar water mixture on stove to save on pan usage - turned out great, just make sure to discard rind after sugar dissolves -I added an extra 1.5 cups of water to final pitcher with lemon juice and simple syrup (it is still very lemony) -Definitely add seltzer water when ready to serve! It takes it to a whole other level! Fill glass half w/ lemonade and top with seltzer

janisani

wonderful from steeping the rinds and pulp. I added the salt, and I love how this is sweet and savory at the same time.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.