When life gives you lemons … you go win a contest. As least that’s what six Hawaii youths did when they won this summer’s Lemonade Alley business competition, where kid teams developed business plans, pitched their ideas and designed stands to sell — what else? — lemonade.
While much of the emphasis clearly centered on learning business skills, Lemonade Alley entrants had to pay some mind to the product they were to sell.
Admittedly, standard lemonade isn’t even close to rocket science: It’s basically a combo of water, sugar and lemon juice. Discretion comes in figuring out proportions, and some recipes simply call for combining the three ingredients, while others start with a simple syrup (sugar and water that’s heated to dissolve the granules) that is mixed with the lemon juice.
The art of lemonade-making, however, is something different altogether. The winners of Lemonade Alley took their renditions of the refreshing summer drink to creative — and tasty — new heights.
Sunshine in a Cup, the charismatic duo of Tamara Sato and Jayci Tsuhako, came up with no less than four original recipes including "fizzy," guava, mango and cranberry lemonades.
The 11-year-olds from Punahou School were seeking something "custom, meaning you cannot buy it in a store," Tamara said.
After some online research, the middle-school winners decided to start with a simple syrup "so there was no sugar mouthfeel," Tamara said.
"We wanted our lemonade base to have a vigorous lemony flavor but not be too sweet because the other flavors we were adding were sweet. We were striving for a lemony aftertaste. That way, you could taste the lemon as well as the individual flavors."
They ended up entering the fizzy lemonade, which featured the addition of lemon-lime flavored soda, such as Sierra Mist or 7UP. The girls explained that the carbonated recipe was a good fit for the judges, who seemed to prefer less sweetness in the drink.
"It has a good balance of flavors," Tamara said. "You can really taste the lemon, and there’s a kick to it with the carbonation."
Jayci added, "It’s good for people who don’t like lemonade but prefer soda."
Winners of the high-school category, Pucker Power, offered a mouthwatering option for those who must economize on time.
Brittany Amano, 15, and Matthew Motooka, 16, of ‘Iolani School presented a sugar-free, li-hing flavored drink made with Crystal Light powder spiked with li hing powder.
"I like the flavor of li hing, but not the aftertaste. This lemonade has an initial flavor of li hing with a lemony aftertaste," Matthew said in explaining its appeal.
For presentation, the pair coated cup rims with li hing and sugar, which turned out to be appealing for its flavor as well.
The recipe calls for about 1 teaspoon of li hing to a 2-quart pitcher of Crystal Light, though amounts can be adjusted to taste.
"I like mine really strong, with an overpowering li hing taste," Brittany said.
The youngest winners, in the kindergarten to fifth-grade age group, were Local-Licious Lemonade: fifth-graders Michael Yamada of Punahou and Ethan Nagamine of Momilani Elementary.
The boys were advised by Michael’s cousin, Jordan Edwards, and Edwards’ girlfriend, Randi Asato.
The group decided to focus on local ingredients. With the combination of Edwards’ bartending experience and the boys’ taste buds, they came up with four sophisticated recipes.
Their lemonade base comprised local honey, local sugar and local lemons.
From there, Edwards generated recipes for a Thai Basil lemonade with fresh orange floated on top; a Dark and Stormy lemonade that featured ginger and orange floated on top; a Mango Mint lemonade made with Haden mango; and a Mock Lemonade Mai Tai that required boiling macadamia nuts, processing them in a food processor and straining them in a cheesecloth. The resulting liquid was reduced and sweetened with sugar, then floated on top.
All the recipes prove the potential of a drink that starts with three simple ingredients.
Tamara of Sunshine in a Cup, who’s already had lots of baking and cooking experience, said that at first the thought of creating lemonade seemed rather ho-hum.
"I never considered making something as simple as lemonade. But people enjoy simple things if there’s a twist. If you add something special, people are interested."
REFRESHMENTS SERVED
Courtesy Tamara Sato and Jayci Tsuhako
SUNSHINE IN A CUP LEMONADE
4-1/2 cups water, divided
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
In saucepan, combine 1 cup water and sugar and cook until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and mix. Add remaining 3-1/2 cups water and stir. Adjust to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Makes about 5-1/2 cups.
GUAVA LEMONADE
3 cups Sunshine in a Cup lemonade
1 can guava concentrate, thawed
1-1/2 cups water
Mix all ingredients together. Adjust to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Makes about 5-1/2 cups.
Note: For a frothy treat, use concentrate that’s partially frozen and blend ingredients.
MANGO LEMONADE
5 cups Sunshine in a Cup lemonade
1 cup mango nectar
Mix all ingredients together. Adjust to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Makes about 6 cups.
PINK CRANBERRY LEMONADE
3-1/2 cups Sunshine in a Cup lemonade
1 cup water
1 cup cranberry juice
Mix all ingredients together. Adjust to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Makes about 5-1/2 cups.
FIZZY LEMONADE
2-1/2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups Sierra Mist or 7UP
In saucepan, combine 1 cup water and sugar and cook until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and mix. Add soda and remaining 1-1/2 cups water and mix. Adjust to taste.
Drink immediately to enjoy carbonation. Makes about 5-1/2 cups.
Nutritional information unavailable.
LOCAL-LICIOUS LEMONADE
Courtesy Michael Yamada and Ethan Nagamine
1/2 cup honey
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups lemon juice
4 quarts water
Combine all ingredients and stir until completely dissolved. Pour over ice and serve. Makes about 10 cups.
Nutritional information unavailable.
MORE FROM LOCAL-LICIOUS:
>> Thai Basil Lemonade: Put large bunch Thai basil into a blender with just enough water to cover. Puree. Strain, and add one tablespoon to Local-Licious lemonade.
>> “Dark N Stormy”: In blender, combine one hand young ginger, chopped into slices, with the juice of 3 limes. Puree then strain. Pour over Local-Licious lemonade to taste.
>> Mango Mint: Dice 1/4 mango (or to taste), muddle with mint in drinking glass. Pour in Local-Licious lemonade and shake with ice.
