Limeade

I like nothing better than sweet and tart things. Citrus of all varieties is one of my favorite ingredients, especially limes and lemons. In the summer, there are two things I love to drink: limeade and my mom's sun tea.

Limeade is simple to make. Some people advocate making a simple syrup in order to make sure the sugar dissolves completely, but that seems like a lot of hassle to me. I just put the sugar in a jar with the lime juice and mint leaves and shake it up for 30 seconds or so. That seems to do the trick.

Six ounces of delightful sour lime juice!

I dumped in the sugar and added my mint leaves.

After it's all shaken up, there's no sugar left at the bottom of the container. 

The acid from the juice dissolves the sugar for me and I didn't have to use the stove! In my mason jar, i have basically a limeade concentrate that I then added to five or six cups of water. It's tart and sweet and glorious when served with a few ice cubes.

Say it with me now: "Aaaaaaah." Sure enough, the perfect summer drink.


Ingredients

6 oz lime juice (I used 4 big limes and 1 lemon)
2/3 cup sugar
5-6 cups water
(optional) 8-10 fresh mint leaves, torn (not chopped)

In a jar with a leakproof lid, add juice, sugar, and torn mint leaves. Close the jar and shake it until the sugar is dissolved into the juice. Pour into large carafe and add water. If the water isn't cold and you'll be adding ice cubes. I would stick with just five cups of water. If you have time to chill the limeade, add six cups of water instead.

Serve chilled with ice (or without, if that's your thing--just make sure it's cold!).