While there are no pentagrams or speaking in tongues in this recipe, I've made variations of this before:
2kg (4.4lbs) dextrose (corn sugar)
up to 450 grams (1lb) lactose for sweetening (if you want a sweeter flavour, optional)
20-odd fresh lemons
43 grams (1oz) fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons of yeast nutrient
11.5g packet of safale s-04 yeast
Slice the lemons and then chop into small cubes. Leave the peel on.
Heat 5L (1 1/14 Gal) water half way to boiling on the stove and add the dextrose, lemons, ginger, and lactose (if using). Add the yeast nutrients here too.
Simmer for 15~20 minutes while you sanitise your fermenter (you cleaned it already, right?).
At this point I add some cold, filtered tap water to the fermenter, around 10L / 2.5 gal
Through a filter/muslin cloth/cheese cloth, strain the sugar/lemon mix into the fermenter.
Top with more cold filtered tap water, adjusting temperature to hit 18~20ºC (64-68F). Pitch the yeast (rehydrated of course!).
Ferment then bottle / keg as you would a beer.
Now, just a couple of things to point out:
Adjust the lemon and ginger to taste. I have a lemon tree so I usually give it the gutso with around 25 lemons or more depending on the size.
Lactose is optional and I only add if it's really dry at bottling. John Palmer states that lactose is half as sweet as sugar so that should give you a guide. At bottling time, I taste the hydrometer sample, then add the amount of lactose to the pot with the dextrose for priming, boil, then add to the bottling bucket.
The dextrose/corn sugar can be subbed out for malt extract. I've used dried and used third or fourth runnings from the mash tun but I really think it's the wrong flavour unless you want to use a pilsner malt. That seems delicate enough but does need the 90min boil.
Now, there is this alternate recipe from the infamous,orange tie-died thong wearing vegetarian MOLLY GOAT:
http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/showthread.php?33733-Hard-Lemonade-(very-easy!)&highlight=lemonadeI've always been meaning to try this method... just for kicks you know...
![Smiley :)](http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
All in all, either method will produce something way better than a super filtered/back flavoured malt beverage, and definitely better than stuffing around with vodka mixes.
cheers