We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.
Alfred E. Newman

There are few simpler pleasures than a tall, frosted glass of fresh lemonade in the summertime. How about a tall, fountain of fresh champagne lemonade with an array of fresh fruit puree to mix into your glass? Simply elegant.

The all-American summer drink, lemonade, probably had its origin in medieval Egypt. Although the lemon originates farther to the east, and lemonade may very well have been invented in one of the eastern countries, the earliest written evidence of lemonade comes from Egypt. The first reference to the lemon is in the chronicles of the Persian poet and traveler Nasir-i-Khusraw (1003 to 1061) who left a valuable account of life in Egypt under the Fatamid caliph al-Mustansir. The trade in lemon juice was quite considerable by 1104. We know from documents in the Cairo Geniza - records of the medieval Jewish community in Cairo from the tenth through thirteenth centuries - that bottles of lemon juice, qatarmizat, were made with lots of sugar and consumed locally and exported.

To impress your guests at your next garden party, try a lemonade champagne fountain, which you can rent at your local equipment rental facility. For smaller parties, try serving your lemonade in a beautiful glass punch bowl. Refreshing, enchanting, and tasteful . this addition to your party will be the talk of your special event.

Champagne Lemonade
8 Servings

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
• 1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine
• Thin lemon slices for garnish

Put the sugar and 1 cup water into small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook for 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat, and allow the sugar syrup to cool.

In a pitcher, combine the cooled sugar syrup with the lemon juice and remaining 2 cups water and mix well. Fill a Champagne flute halfway with the lemonade and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Lemonade Ice Cubes
Prepare lemonade using the recipe above. Fill ice cube trays with the lemonade and place a mint leaf and a piece of cut up orange segment in each compartment. When frozen, turn them into the bowl of your fountain, or place them in a frozen bowl or on an ice sculpture and put on your buffet table to serve with the lemonade. Want to experiment? Try making ice cubes using pineapple water, and place candied lemon or orange rind inside!

Puree some of your favorite fruits, including raspberries, blueberries, oranges, and strawberries. Place the puree of each fruit in a separate bowl and display next to your champagne lemonade fountain. Invite your guests to place a spoonful of their choice of fruit into their glass of lemonade. Your guests will never view their lemonade in the same light again!