Most of us think of lemonade as a lemon-sugar-water concoction, with ratios tailored to palate — but no matter the recipe the drink, a perfect marriage of acid-meets-sweet, can make any moment, anywhere, better. And it’s never more satisfying than when the subways and sidewalks are sweltering. We love a classic, but we’ll trip over our flip-flops for creative spins on the three-ingredient original. Here are five of the city’s best:
The drink: Gardenade Get it at: Union Square Cafe, 21 E. 16th St.; 212-243-4020 (Zandy Mangold)
The drink: Raspberry Lemonade Get it at: Sage General Store, 24-20 Jackson Ave., Long Island City; 718-361-0707 (Zandy Mangold)
The drink: Spicy Berry Lemonade Get it at: Bookmarks Lounge, Library Hotel, 299 Madison Ave.; 212-983-4500 (Zandy Mangold)
The drink: Sangria Lemonade Get it at: Apt. 78, 4447 Broadway; 646-490-6457 (Zandy Mangold)
A taste of Tuscany
“Lemonade is a language everyone understands,” says Mary Cleaver, the caterer and restaurateur whose seasonal Table Green at Battery Park — steps from the Statue of Liberty ferry — sells an average of 600 glasses per week between the two kiosks, more than any other food or drink. It’s a classic lemonade made with herb-infused simple syrups, such as anise hyssop, lavender and others, $3. The flavor changes daily (check its Twitter account for updates), with many of the herbs coming from nearby Battery Urban Farm. If you haven’t been down that way lately, park yourself on the benches beneath the shady, leafy, mature London plane trees, and spend the afternoon with a subtle thyme Tuscan lemonade in hand.
Lemonade with a kick
“Lemonade is a user-friendly beverage,” says Sam Lipp, managing partner of the Union Square Cafe. “You can have it at lunch, you can put alcohol in it.” The Danny Meyer space goes through about 300 lemons a week for about 200 lemonade-based drinks — at times enhanced with seasonal herbs and spices. The Gardenade ($14), however, elevates the drink by adding rosemary-basil-sorrel simple syrup, lemon, gin and green Chartreuse. It’s poured to perfection in a Collins glass, and garnished with a sprig of mint as a final flourish.
Tart and tasty
“We all grew up with pink lemonade with that sickeningly sweet syrup,” says Sage General Store owner Leslie Nilsson. So, 16 years ago, fed up, she started making her “real version” by squeezing raspberries by hand. “We had a bakery. We had raspberries. It made sense,” she says. You won’t believe there’s no syrup in this sweet-yet-still-tart raspberry lemonade ($4), 5 gallons of which are sold each weekday; 10 on each weekend day. Yes, raspberries can be that rich and flavorful, and the cane sugar helps round out any bit of bitter in this refreshing drink, which is served in a mason jar.
Grab an extra before you hop on the train.
Boozy and berry
Sugar (duh), spice (jalapeños) and lots more nice — in the form of muddled blackberries, gin, cassis and sparkling wine — go into the spicy berry lemonade ($15) at the Bookmarks Lounge rooftop at the Library Hotel. Served in a Pilsner glass, it’s one of five infused lemonades on the summer menu, each served with its own little kick of booze to the smart, casual, chill crowd. Sip one while seated in one of the lime-green chairs — or lean back on the zebra-pattern banquettes lining the perimeter — high above the bustling summer sidewalks.
Pink and punchy
Non-alcoholic sangria is a fruity punch worthy of breaking through walls (oh, yeah!), especially when Apt. 78’s La Sala pop-up shop — part-art gallery, part-lounge that operates during the day when the Apt. 78 bar is closed — combines it with fresh lemonade. The cafe’s sangria lemonade ($4) is made with lots of blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Get it Monday through Saturday, only before Apt. 78 opens at 6 p.m.