Brown Sugar Lemonade - Flavorful & Refreshing

This brown sugar lemonade is another one of my easy lemonade recipes. Among my other lemonade recipes are the classic lemonade, honey lemonade, and pink blueberry lemonade.

This brown sugar lemonade is as simple to make as a regular lemonade. It only requires 3 ingredients - lemon juice, brown sugar, and water. In fact, the only difference between a regular lemonade and this brown sugar lemonade is that one uses white sugar while the other uses brown sugar and the amount used is also different given that brown sugar is less sweet compared to white sugar.

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How to Make Brown Sugar Lemonade

Ingredients

Lemonade

• Lemon Juice
• Brown Sugar
• Water
• Ice cubes (optional)

Caramelized lemon slices for garnish (optional)

• Water
• Sugar
• Lemon slices

Mixing the lemonade

• Start by preparing your lemons. Wash and pat them dry. If you wish to rind them for use in another recipe, rind them first before cutting them for juice.
• Before juicing the lemons, roll them on your kitchen countertop with your palms. Exert slight pressure as you do it. This is a useful tip for effective juicing of lemons and limes. The rolling helps to soften the skin as well as loosen the pulp inside, making it easier to press the juice out after cutting.
• Measure the juice in a measuring cup. Strain the juice into the measuring jug so that the juice you measure is without any seeds or pulps. Set aside.

• 

1. Add about one-third or one-quarter of the water indicated in the recipe into a pitcher.
2. Measure the brown sugar into it. Stir the brown sugar in the water until it is dissolved. This should take approximately 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the strained lemon juice and mix well.
4. Measure the remaining water and add it to the pitcher. Mix well. Top it with ice cubes and slices of caramelized lemons if desired.

Making the caramelized lemon slices

1. Slice a lemon into thin slices, approximately ⅛ of an inch. Set them aside.
2. In a wide saucepan, add water. Measure sugar into the pan and turn on the heat to low. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the lemon slices in. Cook them in the sugar syrup over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Turn them over every 20 minutes.
5. Continue to cook them until the sugar starts to caramelize (it will start to change color to amber). Once the color starts to change, keep a close watch on the lemon slices as the caramel can over caramelize quite quickly.
6. As soon as the caramel reaches the color you desire, lift out the lemon slices from the pan and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Place them slightly apart from one another.

• Let the lemon slices dry in a cool place overnight. This will help the caramel to set. Keep the slice uncovered. I always keep mine in the oven and if you do, there is no need to switch on the oven or even the light. I keep them in the oven because it is the only place when I can put my large tray in without any covering and avoid ants and flies.
• To store the candied lemon slices, store them in a container with a parchment paper square in between each lemon slice to avoid them from sticking to one another. Keep the slices refrigerated.

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Notes

What is the difference between this brown sugar lemonade and regular lemonade?

• Regular lemonade is made with white sugar. Brown sugar lemonade, on the other hand, is made using brown sugar. That is essentially the main difference.
• In addition to the type of sugar used, the amount used also differs. Since brown sugar is less sweet than white sugar, a slightly more amount of brown sugar is required to make the same amount of lemonade that it would require for a regular lemonade. For example, when making a 300ml single serving lemonade, I use 2 tablespoons of white sugar for regular lemonade. For the brown sugar lemonade, I use 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. Otherwise, the level of sweetness between these two variants of lemonade will differ.

Can brown sugar be replaced with other sweeteners?

• Technically you can, however, the lemonade will no longer be brown sugar lemonade since you are not using brown sugar anymore.
• I have seen recipes that use agave, maple syrup, and stevia, but have not personally tried any of these alternatives. I also have 2 other lemonade recipes that are made using honey and regular white sugar.

Is there any other way to mix the brown sugar into the lemonade other than stirring it in water until it dissolves?

• Yes, there is. You can make a simple syrup solution with brown sugar and use it instead.
• All you need to do is add the brown sugar and about one-fourth of the water indicated in the recipe into a pot and heat it up over low flame until the sugar dissolved. Stir it to help it dissolve faster.
• As soon as the brown sugar is dissolved, remove the syrup from heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Put it in the fridge or freezer to expedite the cooling process.
• Once cold, pour the syrup into a pitcher, add the lemon juice and the remaining water and stir briefly to mix. Chill the drink until it is ready to be served.

How long can you keep the brown sugar lemonade in the fridge?

• This lemonade can last in the fridge for a good 5 to 6 days.
• Keep it stored in a covered jug or pitcher. Only add the ice cubes right before serving to avoid the ice cubes from diluting the lemonade.

Can brown sugar lemonade be made with lemonade concentrate?

• Lemonade concentrates are often already sugar-added. Adding brown sugar to it will make it too sweet, hence is it not suitable for use in making brown sugar lemonade.

Can frozen lemon juice or bottled lemon juice be used for making this lemonade?

• Yes, they can.
• You can prepare the frozen lemon juice by squeezing lemon juice ahead of time and freezing it in either individual sizes (in tablespoon measures) or in larger pitcher serving sizes (for example in 150ml sizes). That way, when you want to make this lemonade, you need not spend your time squeezing fresh lemon juice.
• To use the frozen lemon juice, either wait for the juice to melt before adding to the water and brown sugar solution, or simply pop the frozen cubes or blocks into your glass or pitcher. Let the juice melt completely before serving.
• As for bottled, store-bought lemon juice, so long as it is not already sweetened and concentrated and no other ingredients added, it can be used for this lemonade recipe.

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Brown Sugar Lemonade Recipe

Here is the full printable version of my refreshingly flavorful brown sugar lemonade recipe.

And that's pretty much my easy brown sugar lemonade recipe for you.

Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Classic Homemade Lemonade - 3 Methods
• Honey Lemonade
• Pink Blueberry Lemonade
• Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
• Lemonade Sorbet
• Lemonade Popsicles

Enjoy!