Description
Refreshing homemade Jamaican Lemonade with a zesty lime concentrate infused with ginger. A perfect balance of sweet and tart, ideal for hot days!
Ingredients
Scale
- 10–12 Jamaican Limes (or regular limes)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 8 cups cold water, plus more for rinsing
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- Optional: A few sprigs of fresh mint for garnish
- Optional: A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Scrub limes thoroughly under cold running water. Rinse and pat dry.
- Carefully zest about half of the limes, avoiding the white pith. Set zest aside.
- Cut all limes in half and juice them. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and pulp. Measure the amount of juice you get.
- Add the lime zest to the strained lime juice.
- Pour sugar into the lime juice and zest mixture. Stir well until sugar is completely dissolved. You can warm the mixture slightly (don’t boil it!) to help the sugar dissolve faster. Just make sure it cools down before you add the water. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
- Add the roughly chopped ginger to the lime concentrate. Stir well.
- Cover and refrigerate the lime concentrate for at least 30 minutes (or longer, up to a few hours) to allow flavors to meld.
- Remove ginger pieces from the lime concentrate using a slotted spoon or by straining.
- Pour cold water into a large pitcher. Add the lime concentrate to the water. Stir well.
- Taste the lemonade and adjust sweetness and tartness to your liking with more sugar, water, or lime juice.
- Refrigerate the lemonade for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Pour the lemonade into glasses filled with ice.
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a lime wedge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Lime Variety: Jamaican limes are preferred but regular limes work.
- Sweetness Level: Adjust sugar to your preference.
- Ginger Intensity: Use more ginger or infuse longer for a stronger flavor.
- Sparkling Lemonade: Substitute some water with sparkling water.
- Spicy Lemonade: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Other Fruits: Experiment with strawberries, raspberries, or pineapple.
- Make it Ahead: Concentrate can be made ahead and stored for up to a week.
- Freezing: Freeze concentrate in ice cube trays.
- Salt: Don’t skip the pinch of salt!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes