Lemonade for the hot summer days, my mom's way!

In Madrid it can get really cold in winter and scalding hot in summer. The past couple of weeks were very hot and as I get home after work I long for something cold and refreshing.

As much as I love baking, I am not really keen on the idea these days, and when I do, I do it early in the morning when it's cool and fresh. .

But what is ideal for summer days and nights are the light and refreshing drinks or desserts and ice cream.

And really, what´s better than a glass of fresh and cold lemonade to cool down the thirst of a hot summer day?

I remember when I was a child, my mom used to make big jugs of lemonade, but hers was different. While others would simply squeeze the juice and add sugar, mom did it differently.

She would clean the lemons very well, cut the tips, then cut each lemon into 8 cubes, add the sugar, leave them for an hour or so in the fridge.
Theى she would squeeze all the juice using a masher or her hands. The result was different, an intense lemon flavor, so fresh and vibrant it used to make my mouth water just by seeing and smelling it.

So in this post I will show you what I always saw my mother doing which is not the easiest way to do it, but for me it´s THE WAY.

For 3 to 4 servings you need:

• 1 kg lemon and lime 
• 100 g vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)
• 500 ml of water
• ice

Wash the lemons with hot water, dry them, cut the tips then cut the fruit into 8 pieces, put them into a big bowl. Sprinkle the sugar, and mix a bit. Put them in the fridge for about an hour.

Now use your potato masher, a pestle or your hands and squeeze hard, after few minutes you will have around 500 ml of juice, at this point the whole house will smell great. Strain the juice, add the water and you are ready to serve with ice and lemon or lime wedges!