Delicious Barley Water Lemonade

A refreshing, cleansing and sustaining cold drink to serve on a hot sunny day or to enjoy at any time

Hi, I’m Sue and I write about the beauty and ingenuity of Nature, and how we can deepen our connection for our optimum health and wellbeing. Discover more Nature-inspired content on Spiral Leaf, Twitter and my video Nature Channel.

All through the year and especially during the warmer months, our bodies need continuous refreshment and hydration, preferably in small, regular increments of fresh, filtered water throughout the day.

Making this a regular part of our daily routine brings a myriad of health benefits. You can mix it up by making herbal teas with fresh herbs or healthy refreshing drinks such as a delicious Barley Water Lemonade.

You may have heard of the benefits of Barley Water or turned to this as a traditional remedy with remarkable and gentle cleansing properties. This is because Barley is not only a great source of plant-based protein that helps to build muscle, it contains trace elements required for cleansing and building cells with Magnesium which turns food into energy.

Barley is a also good source of Iron, Copper and Vitamin B6 which are needed for healthy blood. Selenium helps to keep our repair and immune systems working effectively.

These properties combined with fresh Lemon zest, fresh Lemon juice and Raw Honey (see below) make for a super-nutritious drink that will refresh and cleanse your body at any time of day. It’s great to serve outside when it’s hot and looks amazing when garnished with sliced Lemon, Mint leaves and ice.

You can adjust the recipe below to be more zingy or extra singy by using 3-4 Lemons or you can make it sweeter by using 2 Lemons and adding more Raw Honey.

Get the balance just right and you will never look back. This traditional homemade lemonade is a cool drink that everyone can enjoy. Make the sweeter version for young children to give them a natural Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium and Selenium boost. 

Barley Water Lemonade Ingredients

1 x 4oz Pearl Barley

2-3 x fresh Lemons

2.5 pints x pure filtered Water

2oz x Raw Honey

2 x sprigs of Mint and Lemon Slices (to garnish)

How to make your Barley Water Lemonade

1) Thoroughly wash, rinse and drain the Pearl Barley.

2) Thoroughly wash the Lemons and remove the zest with a food grater or Lemon Zester.

3) Add the Pearl Barley and Lemon Zest to a saucepan with all the water.

4) Bring the water to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

5) Take off the heat to cool a little.

6) Strain liquid through a fine sieve into a clean container and add the cooked Pearl Barley to a storage container to keep in the fridge for use in another recipe.

7) Add the Raw Honey while the liquid is still warm.

8) Add the lemon juice, add more honey if required and pour into a large glass serving jug or tall fridge container.

9) Serve in with thinly sliced Lemon slices, ice and a sprig of Mint and lemon slices. Pour into drinking glasses with a Mint leaf added for garnish.

10) When completely cool, store in the fridge to drink when required.

Health Benefits

Pearl Barley

Barley is a remarkably nutritious grain containing more plant-based protein than rice. It as a host of benefits that include a very high fiber content (both soluble and insoluble), a range of essential vitamins, minerals such as Selenium and Magnesium, and antioxidants called Lignans which are known to lower the risk of heart disease, ease menopausal symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis and breast cancer.

Barley is also rich in Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) and Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, and Selenium which enhance the processes of cell formation such as carrying oxygen through the blood. They also help in the healthy functioning of the repair and immune system. Folate and Iron are particularly important for forming red blood cells and oxygenating the blood which is important for overall heart health. Barley also contains Phosphorus, Calcium, Copper and Zinc which contribute to improved bone structure and strength.

Barley is a good source of all these nutrients and while it is not gluten-free, it contains beta-glucans which are a soluable form of fibre that support heart and bone health.

NOTE: Don't throw away your cooked Pearl Barley. You will notice a very slight hint of Lemon flavour from the zest which makes it an ideal nutritional ingredient for Summer salads, soups and other dishes.

Raw Honey

Raw Honey is naturally collected honey hasn't been pasteurised (heated to high temperature), processed or micro-filtered (filtered under high pressure through a micro-filter to remove small particles like pollen). Raw honey provides a minute amount of protein with trace elements of Sodium and Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Copper, Zinc Iron, Manganese, Chromium, B Vitamins and Vitamin C and K.

Lemon Juice

Lemon water (or herbal tea) is the best way to hydrate, purify and revitalise your body every morning before eating or drinking anything else. Over time this reverses a sluggish fatty liver, and cleanses the kidneys, spleen, thyroid and gallbladder. It also helps to purify the lymphatic system. Contrary to popular belief, amongst its other beneficial properties, Lemons are alkeline once metabolised by the body and help to protect our teeth.

I hope you enjoy making this delicious Summer drink. It’s really easy to make and you can increase the ingredients to make extra lemonade to store in the fridge.

Wishing you good health and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Futher Reading

Cleansing Lemon & Ginger Herbal Tea by Sue Cartwright

A Powerful Boost of Turkey Tail Tea by Sue Cartwright

Going Organic is A Journey by Sue Cartwright

Cleanse to Heal by Anthony Williams, Medical Medium