Simple Syrup

25 lb granulated sugar

3 gal water

Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat. Slowly add sugar (stirring until dissolved). This will make 5 gallons of simple syrup. If you do not need that much simply use equal parts water/sugar. If you don’t have a total of 5 gallons, simply add more water and stir to incorporate.

32 oz Lemonade

Use 140 count lemons. Wedge/smash 1 whole lemon into shaker cup, add 3 pumps (or 3 oz) simple syrup (recipe above). Fill cup with ice. Add water up to the line inside the shaker cup. Put lid on tightly and shake well to mix it up completely. Pour into 32oz cup.

If making a flavored lemonade, 2 pumps simple syrup (2 oz) and 1 pump (1 oz) flavoring. We buy our flavors from Southern Snow.

I attached the start up guide and simple syrup recipes. We use Southern Snow Company flavorings and follow the directions on the label (4 oz concentrate to one gallon of simple syrup). Southern Snow sells the gallon jugs and pumps (you can also get them from US Plastics or Restaurant Depot). As mentioned a gallon of flavoring will make approximately 128-32 oz lemonades (when using 1 oz per lemonade as suggested). We normally mix one quart of flavoring at a time to cut down on waste; however, if it is a big event we make it a gallon at a time (only the best sellers). Flavorings and simple syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 30 days or can be frozen until your next event. Warren and I buy our 32 oz deli cups and lids from  Restaurant Depot,  we have discovered that this helps optimize your time and clean-up. With the Zip-Lock Twist n Lock cups you wedge, smash, add simple syrup/flavoring, water and ice them twist-on lid, shake and pour into another cup/add lid. Using deli cups it's all inclusive: wedge, smash, add syrup/flavoring and simply use the straw punch (you can purchase these from Lemonadevending.com) to make the hole and you're done. When using the deli cup there's very little clean-up at the end of the festival. You will still need a couple of Twist n lock cups to make refills (unless you want to hold your finger over the straw hole to shake it up), but instead of 15-20 to clean up you will only have 2-4 to wash, dry and sanitize. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to do after an event is go home and work some more. Deli cups are also a lot more resilient (if they're knocked over) the lid does not come off as easily as the other cups/lids, trust me I am speaking from experience. We also offer Tea (sweet or unsweetened). I make 5 gallons of unsweetened tea at a time. When customers order tea I put in 2-3 pumps of simple syrup, ice and fill to the line with tea instead of water, shake, punch hole and go. If flavored tea is popular, you can add 1 oz of flavoring (peach is popular here). Some customers like it unsweetened or made with alternative sweeteners  so we keep these on hand: Stevia, Equal or Sweet n Low ( we use 3 packs per 32 oz drink). Another popular drink is the Arnold Palmer (1/2 lemonade, 1/2 tea), to make this start out like you're making a lemonade BUT instead of water you add tea. Fresh fruit smash-ups are also in demand here so we offer: Limeade, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Limeade, Cranberry Limeade, Orangeade, Orange lemonade and Aqua Fresca, (recipes below); sweetened condensed milk is also something you might want to keep on hand to turn Orangeades into an Orange Cream-sickle. Some festivals will only allow 1 lemonade vendor per event, so tell them you specialize in Fresh Fruit Smashups or whatever else you have. Snow cones or shaved ice couples very well with lemonade and Fresh Fruit Smash-ups since they all use ice, syrup and flavorings, and some toddlers and adults alike would rather have a shaved ice than a lemonade (don't lose that sale, it's the little things that keep them coming back). The possibilities are endless. Do some research, find out what's popular in the area and run with it. We started out at the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings with Strawberry, Mango and Blue Raspberry flavorings. One of the vendors asked if we could make Strawberry-Mango lemonade and we did, it's now one of our top selling flavors. Don't be afraid to try new things with new flavors you never know when you'll discover the next "best" thing. The bottom line is it's your business. Have fun with it. Turn it, twist it, tweak it, do whatever you want after all you want your business to be a reflection of you. We have heard all the hype about CBD oils and how beneficial it is to your health,  that could be your niche. Offer CBD added in your lemonade or scale up by offering Organic Fruit Smash-ups and make a few dollars more. Find the one thing that sets you apart from your competition and run with it whether its customer service, souvenir cups or reduced refills. There's nothing like improvising to set yourself apart from your competition. Get your family involved. Teens are a great asset and it will teach them responsibility and that you can have fun while working. Our teens help us at certain events and it helps bring us closer. Okay they don't always want to help us, but once we're there and the day is going they end up having fun and some memories can't be replaced. If there's anything we can do to help you or any questions that you have, feel free to contact us (256)-310-9075.

Limeade: 1 lime (wedged, smashed), 3 pumps simple syrup, ice, water***

Cherry limeade:  1 lime (wedged, smashed), 2 pumps simple syrup 1 pump cherry flavoring, ice, water***

Strawberry limeade:  1 lime (wedged, smashed), 2 pumps simple syrup 1 pump strawberry flavoring, ice, water***

Cranberry limeade:  1 lime (wedged, smashed), ice, cranberry juice***

Orange lemonade: 2 wedges orange, 1/2 wedged lemon, 2-3 pumps simple syrup, ice, water

Orangeade: 1/2 orange (wedged) 2-3 pumps simple syrup, ice, water

Aqua Fresca: 1 lime (wedged), 2-3 pieces cucumber (thick chunks, quartered), a couple sprigs of mint, smash all together, add 2 pumps simple syrup, 1 pump cherry or strawberry flavoring, ice, water, shake

Arnold Palmer: 1 lemon (wedged, smashed), simple syrup, ice, tea (not water)

Orange Cream-sickle: 1/2 orange (wedged, smashed), 2 pumps simple syrup, 1-2 oz sweetened condensed milk, ice, water (adjust to desired consistency)

********you can substitute club soda or sprite to give it a little "sass"*******