The Midwestern Trick for the Fastest & Best-Ever Homemade Lemonade
In the dog days of summer, there's nothing quite like sipping on a fresh lemonade (bonus points if you make it yourself!). That sweet lemony goodness practically fuels late summer poolside afternoons—and we recently learned a new trick that will improve your DIY lemonade game.
Cookbook author and recipe developer Erin Jeanne McDowell might be best known for her next-level baking skills, but she also knows what's up when it comes to making a really good, tart and sweet thirst-quencher, too. She shared the Midwestern art of the shake up in a video on her IG page (@emcdowell) and we knew it was something we needed to try. Read on to see how it went when we tried this summer sipper at home.
Related: The Chef-Approved Way to Make the Best-Ever Strawberry Lemonade
What is a Lemon Shake Up?
A shake up is different than a classic lemonade. With lemonade, you're mixing water, lemon juice, and sugar in a pitcher for a crowd. A shake up, which has its roots in Midwest state fairs, is a made-to-order lemon drink. To make it, you macerate the fruit in sugar, then add ice and shake to your heart's content. According to one online reviewer, a shake up is better than lemonade because it "takes up less space than a pitcher of lemonade in the refrigerator, and only a few minutes to make." Sounds good to me.
How to Make a Lemon Shake Up
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
For a classic lemon shake up, you're going to need lemons, sugar, ice, water and a large mason jar (I used a 24-ounce Ball jar) to mix and muddle everything in. The jar will also serve as your glass.
Start out by cutting your lemon into chunks and adding to the jar. Muddle with a cocktail muddler, the back of a large spoon, or really anything that will get the job done (McDowell uses a dough tamper because she has all the baking tools in her kitchen). Add in about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it), and muddle again. Pop the lid on the jar and shake. Add in water and ice to the top of the jar, close it up and shake again—but this time give it some time to really get the magic going (liken it to how long you would shake a cocktail in a shaker). The sugar will dissolve, the ice chunks break down a bit and it'll be ready for easy sipping on the porch or by the pool.
Related: The Secret Ingredient for the Best-Ever Lemon Bars
What I Thought of the Lemon Shake Up
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
I'm not from the Midwest, so I didn't grow up with shake ups, but since moving here, I have seen these at a bunch of street fairs—the mountains of fat lemons next to the stacks of bright, lidded cups enticing you to get one and pair it with a fried, well, anything.
I am proud to say that I am now a lemon shake up convert. I was dubious a shake up would be any different than a plain old lemonade. Boy, was I wrong. Lemonade is pedestrian compared to this. The flavor, the texture, the little bits of lemon coming up through the straw and the delicate sweetness of the turbinado sugar shining through was divine. If I'm being really picky, the only thing I didn't like was the occasional lemon seed floating around, but you know what? I'll get over it.
Not only was I impressed at the ease of this summery drink, but I'm already dreaming of other shake up recipes now that I've got this one down (lavender lemon or cherry berry, anyone?). I followed the instructions closely enough but added a bit less sugar than what was called for. What resulted was a frosty jar of sweet-tart goodness. It was my daily lemon water on steroids, and it was delicious.
Tips for Making a Lemon Shake Up
Vary your sweetener. In the comments for the original recipe, McDowell says agave, muddled berries or other sweeteners can take the place of the sugar if you want. She's even used roasted strawberries to make a pink lemon shake up. Get creative!
Add a pinch of salt. Some fans of this online say they use a pinch of sea salt in their shake ups to balance the acidity of the lemons and add some minerals.
Don't toss the spent lemons. When the first round of drinks is done, add more water and have a second lemon drink. McDowell says she sometimes makes iced tea for the second round.
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