The ratio
For a classic cup, think half a lemon, one cup of water, and an eighth of a cup of sugar per cup sold. That gives a bright, not-too-sweet lemonade that most people like, and it is what the Starter Kit’s dial uses. Sweeter? A little more sugar. Sharper? A whole lemon per cup, which is how the lemonade stand recipe makes its fresh-squeezed pitcher.
- 20 cups10 lemons, 2½ cups sugar, 20 cups water. A quiet afternoon on a side street.
- 40 cups20 lemons, 5 cups sugar, 40 cups water. A good Saturday morning.
- 80 cups40 lemons, 10 cups sugar, 80 cups water. A ball game, a market, a block party.
The Starter Kit’s dial does this for any number of cups and tells you what the batch costs.
Make a syrup first
Sugar does not dissolve well in cold water. Warm a cup of water, stir the sugar in until it is clear, then add the rest of the water cold and the lemon juice last. The syrup can be made the night before and kept in the fridge.
Two pitchers, one job each
One pitcher is pouring. The other is in the fridge, full. When the first runs out, swap. Lemonade that sits in the sun for an hour is warm lemonade, and warm lemonade does not sell.
Ice is a separate thing
Do not ice the pitcher. Ice the cup. A scoop of ice in the cup, then the pour, means the pitcher stays strong and every cup is cold. A bag of ice from the store in a cooler, with the scoop kept inside the cooler, lasts a whole afternoon.
Leftovers
Lemonade keeps a day or two in the fridge. Freeze what is left in ice cube trays and drop the cubes in the next batch so it does not water down. Nothing wasted.
New to running a stand? The Starter Kit shows how to start a lemonade stand, and the lemonade stand permit rules in Oklahoma are one short read.