You know summer is here when you start seeing area kids trying their hand at entrepreneurship with lemonade stands.
This past weekend, I saw several friends posting photos of their children with toothy grins, sitting behind card tables adorned with homemade signs. As much as some things change, there are so many that seem to stay the same in our small towns.
I wish all of those budding business owners luck with their endeavors, and while I’m sure most will be leaning heavily on Country Time or Kool-Aid for their pitchers full of yellow gold, I would like to offer up a bit more complicated recipe that is delicious and takes plain, old lemonade to the next level with the tropical flavor of mango.
This comes from the blog “Onion Rings & Things.” You can find the original post at https://www.onionringsandthings.com/mango-lemonade/. I didn’t add any ingredients on this one, because it’s so simple.
Fresh Mango Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 ripe mangoes
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups cold water
- ice
Instructions
- Add the sugar and one cup of water to a sauce pot. Heat it over medium heat until the mixture is at a simmer—just below boiling—stirring occasionally.
- Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid looks clear, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. (This is what you call a simple syrup, but don’t be fooled, it won’t be anywhere near the consistency of the stuff you put on your pancakes.)
- Scoop out the insides of the mangoes and place them in a blender along with the freshly squeezed lemon juice, cooled simple syrup and cold water. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. (If you don’t have enough room in your blender, just puree the mango with the lemon juice, and then pour all of the ingredients into a pitcher and mix.)
- Pour the mixture over ice (if you’re not into pulp, you might want to strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve first) and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.
This was absolutely delicious. It was certainly more work than scooping powder and sugar into a pitcher, but it was worth it. Personally, I didn’t mind the little bit of pulp in my glass, but Joey was more in favor of straining his. It’s all about your own preferences.
And, yes, in case you’re wondering, you can take this from being a fun, kid-friendly summer drink to something just for the adults. We tried it with some tequila for a bit of a margarita flair, and it was super tasty. (You probably shouldn’t try that version for your stands, though, kids.)
Drinking lemonade—spiked or not—is one of the many signs of summer and a much better one than sunburns, mosquito bites and sweat.
It’s that little slice of Americana that just never seems to get old.
This piece first appeared in print on May 25, 2023.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
