Description
Refreshing homemade peach lemonade with fresh peaches, lemon juice, and peach syrup. Perfect for summer!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 ripe peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 8–10 lemons)
- 6 cups cold water, plus more to adjust to taste
- Ice cubes, for serving
- Lemon slices and peach slices, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped peaches, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1 cup of water.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the peaches are very soft and easily mashed with a spoon.
- Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to thoroughly mash the peaches in the saucepan.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth-lined colander over a heat-proof bowl. Pour the peach mixture into the sieve and let it strain, pressing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard the solids.
- Let the peach syrup cool completely before using it in the lemonade.
- You’ll need about 8-10 lemons to get 1 ½ cups of juice.
- Before juicing, roll each lemon firmly on the countertop.
- Use a citrus juicer to extract the juice from the lemons. Be sure to remove any seeds that may fall into the juice.
- If you prefer a smoother lemonade, you can strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any pulp.
- In a large pitcher, combine the cooled peach syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 6 cups of cold water.
- Use a long spoon or whisk to stir the mixture thoroughly until everything is well combined.
- Taste the lemonade and adjust the sweetness and tartness to your liking. Add more sugar if it’s too tart, more lemon juice if it’s too sweet, or more water if it’s too strong.
- For the best flavor, chill the lemonade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Fill glasses with ice cubes.
- Pour the chilled peach lemonade over the ice in each glass.
- Garnish with lemon slices, peach slices, and fresh mint sprigs, if desired.
- Serve the peach lemonade immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Use ripe, juicy peaches for the best flavor.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is essential for the best-tasting lemonade.
- Adjust the sweetness and tartness to your liking.
- The peach syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- For a fizzy twist, substitute some of the water with sparkling water or club soda.
- For an adult version, add a splash of vodka, gin, or rum to each glass.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes