Nothing gets an argument going faster than when people from two different countries bring up the subject of what is called lemonade. It's simple; lemonade is a totally different drink depending on what country you live in.

This is Amish Lemonade (American), and my version, which is similar to the Amish version.

Amish Lemonade:

1 cup Water

1 cup Cane Sugar

Thin skins from one or two Lemons

Juice from 8 to 10 lemons, strained.

Using a vegetable peeler, box shredder or sharp knife, skin the yellow part of lemon peels from the lemons. Avoid getting the white parts, as that's too bitter. Dice the thin lemon skins into slivers.

Crush and puree the peeled lemons in a (hand crank) food mill.

Dissolve sugar in water in a pot, bring this to a boil. Add the chopped lemon skins. Boil for about five minutes, remove from heat and cover. Allow to cool completely.

Strain the lemon juice and the boiled lemon skin syrup through cheesecloth.

In a large pitcher, pour in the strained lemon syrup and strained lemon juice, finish filling pitcher with cold water and stir well. Serve over ice in glasses.

My Version of Lemon Stock

My way is mostly the same idea. Slice several whole lemons into slices. Then add those to a pot of warming water on the stovetop. Stir, let it come to a boil briefly, to no more than 5 minutes boiling. Take from heat, cover and allow to cool.

Once cooled, strain and sweeten to your liking. Keep this lemon stock chilled in the fridge in a glass bottle.

When making a glass of lemonade, add the amount of lemon stock to sweetened cold water in the amount you desire. This way, the lemonade can be made nearly unsweetened to as sweet or as strong/weak as desired at that time.

This also gives me the option of adding a few teaspoons of tart cherry juice to make it pink lemonade, if I'm wanting pink lemonade that day. It's versatile.

This way, if making iced tea, the amount of lemon stock can be used to suit preferences. (I don't always make iced tea with lemon in it, but many times guests like their iced tea with lemon added).

The white parts of the peels will add a bitterness to the lemon stock. If you aren't wanting it all that bitter, then thinly slice off only the yellow parts of the skin, and discard all the white parts before cooking and straining it.

I tend to use up my batches of lemon stock before it goes off. But a teaspoon of salt dissolved in it should help it stick around a little longer in the fridge. I find that storing it in glass, instead of plastic, is the best. For some reason, storing it in plastic changes the flavor in odd ways, and glass won't do that.