Italian Lemonade Soda

Italian Lemonade Soda, called ‘limonata’ in Italian, is a revitalizing beverage perfect for enjoying during scorching summer days. The key to achieving its exquisite taste is in crafting the foundational syrup—a concentrated blend of lemon zest, juice, sugar, and a hint of water—which can later be adjusted to individual preferences by diluting it.

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What is Italian Lemonade Soda?

Why you’ll like it

There are several reasons why you should add this recipe to your arsenal:

• Homemade alternative. It offers a wonderful alternative to commercially produced soft drinks, as it is made with all-natural ingredients and lacks artificial additives. By preparing it yourself, you have full control over the quality and freshness of the ingredients, ensuring a healthier and tastier experience.
• Versatile. It can be customized to suit your preferences and guests of any age by adjusting the sweetness or tartness levels according to your taste. You can also experiment with various additions such as fresh fruit slices, mint leaves, or even a splash of elderflower syrup to create your signature twist.
• Hot summer drink. Its invigorating citrus flavor combined with the effervescence of sparkling water provides a revitalizing and cooling effect. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue, lounging by the pool, or simply craving a refreshing drink, a lemonade is an ideal companion to beat the heat.

Italian Lemonade Soda recipe

We suggest diluting 1 part of syrup in 4 parts of ice-cold sparkling water: in this way, the sour taste of the lemon and the sweet taste of the syrup will balance each other perfectly, and the result will be a fresh and thirst-quenching lemonade, balanced in taste.

Ingredients for Lemonade Soda

• Sparkling Water (400ml)

For the Lemon Syrup

This will give us around 100ml of lemon syrup

• Lemons (lemon juice from 5 lemons)
• Sugar (250g)
• Water (50ml)

For the Garnish

• Lemon (1 organic lemon)

How to make an Italian Lemonade recipe?

1. Wash the lemons thoroughly and dry them.
2. Cut the lemons in half and using the juicer, extract the juice: you will need 250 ml. Then strain it to remove any seeds.
3. Add the sugar with the lemon juice in a saucepan.
4. Pour the water into the saucepan as well
5. Warm up the ingredients in the saucepan and blend using a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and large bubbles appear on the surface
6. Filter the lemon syrup through a fine mesh sieve. See details.
7. Mix 100ml syrup and 400ml water.
8. Pour into a bottle or a glass container, close and transfer to the refrigerator until chilled.
9. Serve the fresh lemonade in individual glasses, garnish as desired with a few lemon wedges and serve.

Tips and Variations

• Remember to use only chemically untreated organic lemons. One of the best varieties is the Costa d’Amalfi IGP lemon, or Sfusato Amalfitano, very fragrant, juicy and unique in its kind.
• The lemon syrup can be poured into a sterilised glass bottle to use later.
• Refrigerate, in an airtight container, for a maximum of 2-3 days.
• If you sterilize glass bottles, the lemonade can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• For a more flavoursome lemonade soda, add some lemon zest to the lemon syrup by using a lemon zester, being careful not to also take the white part of the fruit: a slightly bitter taste would compromise the final result. You should add the lemon zest at the last stage while cooking the mixture.
• We can infuse the lemonade with mint or lavender, or add a few slices of ginger at the bottom of the pitcher containing our lemonade to make the drink even more refreshing.
• For a sweeter variation, we can add about 200g of strawberry puree to the beverage.

How and when to serve the Italian Lemonade Soda

• You can use lemonade soda to prepare delicious ice lollies or a refreshing granita.
• We can prepare lemonade at any time to quench our thirst or refresh ourselves during hot summer days.
• We can also serve a nice glass of lemonade during an aperitif or a snack. There’s no need for special occasions.

Or you can take a look at our trendy refreshing drinks:

• Homemade iced coffee
• The Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew – a fan favorite.
• Vanilla Affogato al Caffe recipe with a shot of espresso being served over ice cream.