Spicy Chile Lemonade

Name: Spicy Chile Lemonade
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: ['8', '1 quart lemonade concentrate']
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3 pounds (1.3kg) lemons (10 to 14 medium lemons); 6 ounces (170g) medium-hot fresh red chiles, such as red finger chiles, cayenne peppers, or Fresno peppers, stemmed and minced (see notes); 14 ounces sugar (2 cups; 400g); 24 ounces cold water (3 cups; 700ml)

⏱ 15 mins 🍽 ['8', '1 quart lemonade concentrate'] 🌶 american 🏷 Drink

This American beverage offers a fruity and refreshing twist with a spicy kick. The method involves creating a potent syrup by macerating lemon rinds and fresh red chiles with sugar, which naturally extracts the chiles' heat. The resulting concentrate is then mixed with lemon juice and water. It can be stored for up to a week and served over ice, with the option to adjust the dilution to your personal taste. The recipe yields about 1 quart of concentrate, enough for 8 servings.

Ingredients

3 pounds (1.3kg) lemons (10 to 14 medium lemons)
6 ounces (170g) medium-hot fresh red chiles, such as red finger chiles, cayenne peppers, or Fresno peppers, stemmed and minced (see notes)
14 ounces sugar (2 cups; 400g)
24 ounces cold water (3 cups; 700ml)

Method

Allow the lemons to reach room temperature, then roll them firmly on your work surface to soften the skins. Juice the halved lemons, pouring the juice into a sealed container for chilling. Chop the leftover rinds into 1-inch pieces. Combine these with the minced chiles and sugar in a large nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic and leave at room temperature, stirring roughly every 45 minutes, until the sugar fully dissolves, about 3 hours. The mixture can stand for up to 12 hours. Note that chile heat varies. 6 ounces of a medium-hot variety like red finger chile is recommended, but adjust to your taste, adding more if needed and allowing more maceration time.
Pour in the cold water along with 8 ounces (1 cup) of the chilled lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, then strain the liquid through a fine nonreactive mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a glass or ceramic container, pressing on the solids to extract all liquid. Discard the solids. This chile-lemonade concentrate can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To serve, pour the concentrate over ice. You can tailor the strength by adding more water or lemon juice according to your preference, remembering that melting ice will further dilute the drink. Any leftover fresh lemon juice can be saved for another use.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium5000 mg

Recipe details

CategoryDrink

Cuisineamerican

AuthorDaniel Gritzer