Homemade Lemonade/ Lemon Squash

Ramadan is finally here. All that anticipation and preparation and we are finally entering the holy month of Ramadan. My kids are so excited to be getting up in the middle of the night, eating their Suhoor and fasting until sunset. My little one, who is now 10… can you believe it, would like to fast for the whole month. So this week, I have been making the kid’s favourite snacks and drinks so that I am not stressing to figure out flavours while I am fasting. 

Homemade lemonade is on the top of the list. This is their number one drink in Ramadan. They drink this lemon squash/ lemonade every evening in Iftar when they break their fast. It is sweet and slightly tangy. Perfect for getting their energy back up after a long day. They also fill their water bottles with the lemonade for school and football club, so you can make it all year round. The best part about this lemonade is that I make it from the lemons on our trees outside. Doesn’t get fresher than this, right?

Preparation Time 15 minutes 

Cook Time 10 minutes 

Yields 750 ml bottle

Ingredients 

500 grams lemon/ 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 cup water 

500 grams sugar 

Instructions 

1. Place the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook it on a low heat until the sugar dissolves and thickens until sticky and stringy between the fingers. (Refer to the video to see how the sugar syrup should be) 

2. Let the sugar syrup cool slightly, then filter it through with a muslin cloth. Cool the sugar syrup to room temperature. We can’t use it until it is completely cooled. Using the syrup before it is cooled will lead to a bitter lemonade. 

3. Add the lemon juice to the sugar syrup and mis well. 

4. Pour into sterilised glass jars/ bottles. 

5. Keep in a cool dry place for up to 3 months.

6. To make a glass of the squash, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the squash in a glass. Fill the rest of the glass with water. Add ice until to your preferred flavour.