Lemonade reimagined with 2 surprising ingredient swaps

On balmy summer days, you’ll find me on the porch pouring a tall glass of maple limeade. Lemonade is a classic, but limeade delivers a pleasantly less puckering punch. Paired with earthy and sweet maple syrup, this is the sweet-tart thirst quencher you’ll reach for all summer.

Get Zen with your limes

The one thing that holds me back from mixing up a pitcher of limeade each week is the thought of juicing so many limes. But if you shop smart and fill your cart with the best ones, you won’t have to juice as many.

Here’s how to do it: Place one lime in the palm of each hand and hold them gently. Close your eyes (it sounds silly, but it helps!), and let yourself feel the weight of the limes. One is heavier than the other, isn’t it? Put the heavy one in your basket and repeat until you have 10 limes.

Don’t go for the larger limes by default — you may be fooled by a thick layer of pith. Choosing limes that feel heavy for their size is an almost foolproof way to pick fruit packed with juice.

Twist with the right tool

I love a reamer for juicing a single lemon or lime, but when there’s a big juicing job ahead of me, I reach for a juicer. Another juicing tool we love? Our stand mixer.

From The Kitchn’s Meghan Splawn: “Quarter the limes, pile them into the bowl of your stand mixer and then use the paddle attachment to mix the lemon quarters on low speed. The paddle naturally squishes the quarters, releasing their juices and the natural oils from the skins. Beat for about 2 minutes and then strain the juice.”

Maple syrup, not simple syrup

Classic summer ’ades are sweetened with simple syrup, a mixture of water and sugar. Making simple syrup is a cinch, but it still requires heating the water to dissolve the sugar.

When summer rolls around, I’m all about finding alternatives to turning on the stove, so I reach for the sweet syrup that’s already in my fridge: maple syrup! Its earthy, sweet flavor pairs so well with limes.

Thirst-quenching tips

A pinch of kosher salt highlights the caramel flavor of the maple syrup, making this drink more than just a lip-puckering punch. Serving the drink over ice also helps cut the sour flavor, because the beverage will mellow as the ice melts. Alternatively, you can add an extra ½ cup water if you drink it straight from the fridge.