Recipe Background
Florida Lemonade mixes lemon and orange zest for a refreshing twist.
During my stint as a college student in sunny Florida, a roommate convinced me to join him on a spontaneous road trip to the Keys. It was one of those blisteringly hot days that only Floridians seem to handle with grace. As we drove past citrus groves and ocean views, we stopped at a quaint roadside stand offering fresh lemonade. The vendor was an elderly man who had been squeezing lemons and oranges for decades. I watched in fascination as he added unexpected orange zest to the mix, his hands moving with practiced ease. Inspired by this genius twist, I snagged a bag of fresh lemons and oranges for the road.
Back in our cramped dorm kitchen, I recreated that unforgettable drink. Memories of the trip infused every squeeze of those juicy lemons, each burst of zest reminding me of the carefree spirit of those college years. Adding orange zest was my way of capturing that Florida sunshine in a glass. A simple trick I learned from the vendor was to let the flavors meld for an hour before straining, allowing the citrus medley to deepen and evolve. It became my go-to potluck offering, refreshing and vibrant, inviting comparisons to the magic of fresh lemonade from a memory-filled adventure. The key was always patience—chilling the concentrate transformed it into the perfect refreshment.
For those redeye study sessions and lazy afternoon breaks, this lemonade quickly became a staple. A pitcher, full of ice cubes and garnished with lemon slices, turned even the drabbest dorm into a citrus oasis. This concoction might be my lasting gift to fellow students: a reminder that a bit of zest can elevate any experience.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 8 1/2 cups water divided
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice from about 10 lemons
- 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice from about 5 oranges
- ice to taste
- fresh lemon slices optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and 2 1/2 cups of the water and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
- Transfer the saucepan from the heat and let the simple syrup cool slightly.
- Add the lemon zest, the orange zest, the lemon juice, and the orange juice to the simple syrup and let it stand, covered, until the flavors have melded together into a lemonade concentrate, about 1 hour.
- Strain the lemonade concentrate through a fine-mesh sieve into a vessel with a cover. Discard the citrus zest in the sieve.
- Cover the vessel with the lemonade concentrate and chill it in the refrigerator until cold, about 30 minutes.
- In a pitcher, add equal amounts of the remaining water and the lemonade concentrate and stir to combine. Reserve the remaining water and the remaining lemonade concentrate for refills.
- Add the ice to the pitcher and stir to combine.
- Serve garnished with the lemon slices.
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