Roy Blount, Jr.’s Save Room For Pie sings praises of iconic Southern classics like homemade pie. I wanted to pair this book with another true classic: fresh squeezed lemonade.

I’ll get right out and say it: I love lemonade. Powdered, fresh squeezed, bottled, boxed – I don’t discriminate. I will drink it out of a mason jar or a juice box. I have fond memories of downing cups of icy lemonade after long bike rides with my brother and our friends. I charged a quarter for a Dixie cup of Crystal Light and chased down the ice cream truck with my profits, a good investment when you are ten. Lemonade is trip down memory lane to firefly-lit nights, backyard cookouts, and baseball games.

I love lemonade. The bright taste of the lemon balanced with a heaping spoonful of sugar is the perfect drink, especially when served in a glass clinking with ice.

I am always the advocate for keeping things simple and traditional when it comes to a recipe as iconic as lemonade. Why mess with a classic? But then I discovered agave-sweetened lemonade, of which I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it tasted exactly like lemonade sweetened with sugar – but at only 35 calories a glass! Try it for yourself and see what you think.

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)

½ cup light agave syrup

4 cups water

Directions:

Squeeze lemons until you get ½ a cup’s worth of juice. Strain the pulp, if you so desire, and remove any seeds. Pour into a large pitcher. Add ½ cup light agave syrup and 4 cups of water. Mix and serve over ice. Enjoy!