Sicilian Sparkling Lemonade (Limonata)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A crackling, coast-of-Sicily limonata that gets its depth from oleo saccharum — lemon peels macerated in sugar until they weep fragrant citrus oil. That perfumed syrup, fresh juice, a whisper of sea salt and ice-cold sparkling water make a lemonade that tastes far more aromatic than the sum of its parts: bracingly tart up front, floral in the finish, and never syrupy.

Ingredients

• 8 large lemons, preferably thin-skinned and unwaxed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/4 cup water (for loosening the syrup)
• 5 cups sparkling water or club soda, thoroughly chilled
• ice cubes, for serving

• 6 fresh basil or mint sprigs
• 1 blood orange or bergamot, zest and 2 tablespoons juice
• 6 thin lemon wheels

• 1 vegetable peeler and fine-mesh strainer

Instructions

1. Scrub the lemons under warm water and dry them well — you want the peel clean, since it does most of the flavor work. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 6 lemons in wide strips, pressing lightly so you take only the yellow layer and leave the bitter white pith behind. Reserve all 8 lemons for juicing.
2. Put the peels in a bowl or quart jar with the 1 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Muddle and squeeze the sugar into the peels with a wooden spoon or clean hands for a full 2 minutes, until the peels look bruised and the sugar turns damp and faintly yellow.
3. Cover and let sit at room temperature 2 to 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours) for the most fragrant result. The sugar will draw out lemon oil and largely dissolve into a thick, glossy syrup pooled in the bottom of the bowl.
4. Juice all 8 lemons through a fine-mesh strainer; you want about 1 1/4 cups fresh juice. Keep it cold.
5. Add the 1/4 cup water to the oleo saccharum and stir 1 to 2 minutes until any remaining sugar crystals dissolve. If stubborn crystals remain, warm the mixture in a small saucepan over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, without letting it simmer — boiling dulls the fresh citrus perfume. Cool to room temperature.
6. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing hard on the peels with the back of a spoon to extract every drop, then discard the peels. Stir in the lemon juice (and the blood orange zest and juice, if using). You now have about 2 cups of limonata concentrate.
7. Refrigerate the concentrate at least 30 minutes, until very cold. It keeps, covered, up to 5 days and only gets more aromatic on day two.
8. To serve, fill tall glasses with ice. Pour 1/3 cup concentrate into each glass, then top with about 3/4 cup ice-cold sparkling water, pouring down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles. Stir once, gently, with a bar spoon.
9. Taste and adjust: another splash of soda if you want it lighter, a spoonful of concentrate if you want it sharper. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a slapped basil or mint sprig, and serve immediately while it is still fizzing hard.
10. For a pitcher service, combine the chilled concentrate and sparkling water in a large pitcher just before guests arrive, stir twice, and pour over ice within 15 minutes so the carbonation holds.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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