Reba McEntire's Porch Day Lemonade Is a Sweet Summer Send-Off

As it seems, there aren't too many things that Reba McEntire can't do. Make hit singles? Check. Break records with your own eponymous show? She's done that, too. And don't get us started on all of the other countless barriers she's broken and shows and movies she's graced us with being apart of.

Though the megastar has plenty of things under her belt to have made her mark in American history, the "Queen of Country Music" took things one step further earlier this year and opened up her first restaurant, Reba's Place: a place where everyone who's anyone can show up and have a truly "Fancy" time. In true Reba fashion, however, she hasn't quite stopped there.

Set to release this October, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating and Dusting Off Your Boots is Reba's upcoming book filled with stories, Oklahoma-style truths that have shaped her life and, of course, recipes. And to give fans a sneak peek at what they can expect, the "Survivor" songstress dropped the recipe to one of her go-to drinks — and it's perfect to round out summer with.

As a southerner who loves lemonade, once I spotted Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade, I knew I had to give it a try. Seemingly simple to make, the recipe was something I felt like had to be made before the full craze of pumpkin spice took over, so I checked my cabinets, headed out to pick up what I didn't have, and got to work.

Get the Recipe: Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

Related: Reba McEntire Might Be a Simple Gal, But Her BLT Is Anything But

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Ingredients for Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

Like most lemonade recipes, this ingredient list is quite short. All you'll need is water, sugar, a few lemons and fresh basil leaves for garnish. Additionally, You’ll need to have a pitcher for stirring and pouring—along with an 8-ounce glass.

How to Make Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

In a medium size saucepan on medium-high heat, add your water and sugar — stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved completely — and bring it to a low simmer. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.

While that's cooling, juice your lemons (Reba recommends six if you want something on the sweeter side and eight if you're looking for tart). Once your mixture has cooled, add the sugar water into a 2-quart pitcher. Then, add in your lemon juice and stir until combined, filling the remainder of the pitcher with cold water before stirring once more. Serve in an 8-ounce glass with ice and garnish with a few leaves fresh basil.

Related: Reba and Her Boyfriend Rex Linn Are Having 'Too Much Fun' in New Photo From Italy

What I Thought of Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

Reba had the right idea when she named this the "porch day" lemonade because with just one sip, I felt like I was back in the country, drinking lemonade with my grandparents on a hot, summer day. Lending a more tart than sweet taste, Reba's recipe reminds me a lot of Chick-Fil-A's lemonade.

As a fellow southerner, however, I thought that Reba's lemonade would be more sweet. Even with option to use the six lemons instead of six, the sip was still more on the tart side. So, for those that are looking for this to be sweeter even with using less lemons, that's something to take note of. What I would recommend though, is using this as a mixer for the perfect lemonade-based cocktail. A high-quality gin, tequila or even vodka would make great options for taking this one up a notch. And, a great way to feel like it's summer all year long.

Tips for Making Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

• Make it your own. No matter what recipe I'm trying, I always find a way to make it my own. That could be switching out the white sugar for brown sugar, adding more sugar in general, adding the basil to the sugar water while on the stove or even throwing in another fruit to add a little more pizazz (here's looking at you, peach!), you can take this simple recipe to the next level.

• Roll your lemons. To maximize the juice you get from each lemon, make sure you roll each one on the counter to soften it up a bit. Alternatively, you can zap them in the microwave for a few seconds before slicing.

Get the Recipe: Reba’s Porch Day Lemonade

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