It's Easy To Make Cola – Isn't It?

Well, actually no, it is not that easy to make at home although it is apparently possible, with quite a lot of trouble, to make something that tastes very similar.  But why would you want to bother to do all that work when you can buy such great cola in the shops? 

The answer is that you probably would rather leave cola to the experts and concentrate on making delicious citrus fruit based drinks in your own kitchen, which taste just as delicious, if completely different, and which are much easier to make.  They also will have the great advantage of being pure and free from additives, with as much or as little sugar as suits your palate.

I'm talking about lemonade, lemon squash, orange and grapefruit squash, lemon or grapefruit barley water, elderflower cordial and a host of other drinks that your Grandma might have made but which have gone out of fashion as a home produced delicacy.  Of course you can buy some of these ready bottled but as with most things, nothing quite beats the taste of something you have made at home.

If you live in the country and grow your own fruit or if you have access to a market, you can take advantage of the seasonal glut of fruit and of the free food from the hedgerows, elderflower for example.  But everything you need for most standard citrus based drinks is easily obtainable in most supermarkets.

Fresh old fashioned still lemonade is one of the easiest of these to make and it is one of the most refreshing things you can drink on a hot summer day.  Best of all as it's only made with lemons, sugar and water you will already have everything you need.

Wash and thinly peel three lemons – a potato peeler will do the job perfectly well – and put the rind into a large jug with six ounces of sugar.  Pour on about a pint and a half of boiling water and cover the jug and leave it to cool, stirring occasionally.  When it is cold squeeze the lemons and add the juice to the jug, strain the lemonade and serve chilled.