When Life Gives you Lemons...

My life is not so bad really, in fact in general I am pretty blessed, but today was so hot and beautiful, and after the fun of watching my gerls, la Creme de la Creme of Hiroshima, compete for their sports day, I really felt the need to make some cooling refreshing lemonade anyway.

I say Lemonade in an American sense, based on nothing but my own image of what lemonade in an American sense might be. We followed no recipe. Only a cooling idea.

It was such a nice day, (evening and night), with a good friend I haven't seen enough of lately, and since we both love homemade challenges so much, it was great to join efforts on this quest for refreshment.

Here's what me and Toshiko did. If there are any Americans out there looking, you can tell me if it bears any resemblance to real American lemonade....

Things we put in:

the rind of 2 lemons, finely grated
the juice of 6 lemons (freshly squeezed with your bare hands)
a one inch nob of fresh ginger root, finely grated
sugar to taste (started with about 100g, 4 oz and worked up from there)
a handful of fresh spearmint leaves, slightly ripped

about 3 pints of cold water

a load of ice cubes
some slices of lemon


What we did:

We put all of this (except water, ice and lemon slices) in a large jar-like container, shoogled* it up gently but firmly till the sugar had more or less dissolved, then diluted it with the water, shoogled it again, then tried to pick out as many of the lemon seeds as floated to the top as we could (you could use a strainer but then think of how much of the lovely lemony bits would go astray if you did!).

We then found a decorative jug, filled it with ice, poured the above concoction over the ice cubes, added the lemon slices as a pretty garnish, and dispersed it among the hot and sweaty masses, who all agreed it was great, even if it wasn't authentically American. So there.

If you're at all hot and bothered, why not give it a try.

* for those who are not blessed to be Scottish, to shoogle, means to shake, but is much more onomatopoeic I feel.