The other weekend, I was strolling through a Vermont farmers’ market and stumbled on a maple farm stand selling maple-sweetened lemonade. Genius! I never thought to use maple syrup as a sweetener in lemonade, but I’m glad that I’ve been enlightened. The syrup darkens the color and intensifies the flavor more than white sugar, stevia or agave does. The quintessential rich maple flavoring balances out the tartness well, even in low doses. I toyed around with a recipe that was sweet enough for me but not so sweet to make you readers sick with a sugar high.
{RECIPE} Maple-Sweetened Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6-8 lemons, cut in half (enough to yield approximately 1 or 1 1/2 cup lemon juice)
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 6 cups cold water
Directions
Using a citrus press or juicer, juice the lemons until you have around 1 cup of lemon juice and pour into your pitcher. Be sure to remove any seeds that might have gotten into the juice.
Add 6 cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir.
Warm the maple syrup either on the stovetop or in a glass container in the microwave, just until it is a bit runny. This step makes it easier to mix into the lemonade.
Add the syrup to the pitcher– feel free to add the syrup in a quarter cup at a time so you can customize the sweetness level. I found that 3/4 cup was just right, but you may prefer it more or less sweet.
Serve over ice with a slice of lemon as garnish, if you are feeling fancy. Wouldn’t a glass go perfectly with a slice of Maple Sponge Cake?
Boozy Options
Trust me, this lemonade is good enough on its own that you might not even want to add alcohol to the mix. But, in case you are looking for a perfect summer cocktail, you’re in luck. Lemonade is a great starting point for lots of boozy drinks. A shot of vodka, dark rum, tequila or even whiskey turns this lemonade into an all-star cocktail. Add a splash of seltzer for some fizz, if you’d like. Alternatively, a splash or more of sparkling wine with lemonade makes a classy summer spritzer and mimosa alternative.
A glass of this would go perfectly with , wouldn’t it? Served up on a warm weekend afternoon, maybe on a stoop or in the backyard, with a good book in hand.
from scratch club 
I like lemonade
is that possible use honey instead of syrup?
How much should i added
You could use honey! The general conversion for honey to maple syrup is 1:1, so this recipe might work with 3/4 cup honey, although I’d add it in a 1/4 cup at a time so you can taste-test it along the way! Remember to warm the honey first so it will be easier to stir in.
interesting! thanks for the idea
OMG genius! I made a brown sugar one the other day @ canihaveasip.wordpress.com 🙂
This sounds amazingly good… I can’t wait to make some + try it! Anything found at a Vermont farmer’s market is good in my book 🙂
Yum! I never thought to use maple syrup to sweeten lemonade but I may give it a try. It would be delicious with some summer BBQ cooking. 🙂
http://www.smokingpigbbq.net
We just tried this, had a small accident with the fresh lemon juice so had to add some from concentrate, but the rest of it went well and OMG so yummy. Thank you for the recipe idea this one is a keeper.
I have to try this! It looks soooo good!
aroonmelane.wordpress.com
I am a sucker for lemonade and the fact you used an alternative sweetener is up my alley..great post!
I often use honey because I prefer it to sugar. Just add equal quantity hot water with honey is that it is easy to mix. I haven’t try maple syrup before but here, syrup is quite expensive so for special occasions only. My favourite booze for home made lemonade would be golden rum. Sooooo good.