Homemade Sparkling Lemonade

Want the best bubbly, refreshing summer drink? Try homemade Sparkling Lemonade! Of course, you can buy this citrusy beverage at the store. But it tastes infinitely better when you make it at home! Use real lemon, soda water and sugar to make this summery drink: it’s perfect for sipping on the patio, or drinking in the winter when you’re dreaming of sun. Even better: you can use it in cocktails like the Pimm’s Cup or Summer Shandy. Here’s what to do!

Ingredients for sparkling lemonade

The ingredients for homemade sparkling lemonade are simple: you’ll just need 3 ingredients to mix up a zingy glass! Here’s all you’ll need:

Lemons: You’ll need lemon juice from real lemons: no bottled lemon juice here! For one glass, you’ll need 1 large or 2 small lemons. Simple syrup: Simple syrup is easy to make at home with sugar and water. Mix up a batch and store it in the fridge to use for lemonade or cocktails. Soda water: Then all you need is carbonated water (aka sparkling water). You can buy it or make your own in a Soda Stream.

Sparkling lemonade by the glass vs pitcher

Once you’ve got your ingredients, all you have to do is mix them together! It truly couldn’t be easier (really). The main way we make it is by the glass. But if you’re entertaining and want to make it for a crowd, go the pitcher route! It’s much easier to whip up for a crowd.

By the glass: You can make 10 ounces or 1 ½ cups sparkling lemonade with the recipe below. Make it for on demand drinking. Pitcher: Are you entertaining? Mix up a pitcher that serves 8 1-cup servings. Only do this for a gathering; leftovers don’t last because of the sparkling water.

The best way to juice lemons

Making pitcher style sparkling lemonade? It calls for quite a bit of lemon juice you’ll need to squeeze out. What’s the best way to do it by hand? Here are our recs:

Top choice: a press citrus juicer. This type of juicer is efficient and ends up getting out even more juice than other types. Here’s our press juicer: it’s held up well after making 200+ cocktails. Next best choice: a handheld citrus juicer. The next best juicer is the type with a ridged top.

Step it up: use clear ice

Want a fancy glass of sparkling lemonade that looks like the one in the photos? Make a batch of clear ice! Clear ice is homemade ice that’s crystal clear, instead of cloudy like normal ice. You can cut it into large, organic shaped cubes and it looks like ice from a fancy bar or restaurant. We use clear ice for lots of our cocktail recipes: and you can use it for sparkling lemonade too.

Cocktails that use sparkling lemonade

Want to use this homemade sparkling lemonade for a cocktail? Great idea. While you can buy it at the store, we prefer making homemade because of the beautifully bright citrus flavor. In fact, we made this recipe especially for the first cocktail below!

Summer Shandy A shandy is a British beer cocktail that mixes beer and sparkling lemonade or ginger ale: and it’s so refreshing. Also try a Classic Shandy or Grapefruit Shandy. Pimm’s Cup This British cocktail is refreshing and bubbly, featuring Pimm’s No. 1 and sparkling lemonade. Perfect for summer!

And that’s it: how to make sparkling lemonade at home! Scroll down to the recipe to make it: and let us know what you think in the comments below.

More homemade lemonade and limeade recipes

Try all our homemade lemonade recipes: they’re the perfect summer drinks! Pick from the following:

Go for classic Fresh Lemonade Opt for pink with Raspberry Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade or Pink Lemonade Go for Cucumber Lemonade, Mint Lemonade, Basil Lemonade, or Ginger Lemonade Spike your drink with Vodka Lemonade, Bourbon Lemonade or Spiked Lemonade Try Fresh Limeade Add iced tea for a Arnold Palmer Add cherry for zingy Fresh Cherry Limeade