Arizona 206 Lemonade

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Once upon a time, there was great NYC restaurant called Arizona 206*. This was our favorite drink of theirs!

Ingredients

Serves 8-10

1 cup white sugar
½ cup water
3½ cups cold water
2 cups lemon juice (8-12 lemons)
750 ml silver Tequila    

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat and let cool.
  2. In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup, 3½ cups cold water and lemon juice. Stir to mix completely.
  3. Fill tall glasses with ice. Add Tequila, till the glass is 1/3 to half full.
  4. Fill glass to the top with lemonade, and stir.

My husband says: WARNING! It is recommended that you not drink, or even make, this lemonade. If you must break warning #1, do not bring a pitcher of it out onto the back porch with a good book. If you happen to do so, do not try to stand up.

* Brendan Walsh (born 1959) is an American chef best known for his endorsement of southwestern cuisine. He was the original chef of Arizona 206 in New York City (from 1985–1988) [1] and won international recognition in the prestigious James Beard “Who’s Who of Cooking in America”.

Walsh graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. From there, he worked at the prestigious Stars restaurant in San Francisco. He later moved back to New York City as executive chef at Arizona 206. There, his fame grew and he appeared on magazines such as Food & Wine and USA Today. He worked as consulting chef in 1989 to Wet Paint but moved on as chef at the Coyote Grill in Island Park from 1990 to 1991. 1991 to 1993, he was the co-owner and chef of the North Street Grill in Great Neck.

In 1996, he decided to settle down in Ridgefield, Connecticut, opening the praised Elms Restaurant and Tavern (now called Brendan's at the Elms). The Elms Restaurant was featured in the Thanksgiving special of Martha Stewart. New York Magazine, Esquire Magazine, USA Today, Food & Wine, The New York Times, and Martha Stewart Living all published feature articles about the restaurant. It was given an Award of Excellence from The New York Times, The Hartford Courant, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time, Crain's Business, Connecticut Magazine, and Brooks Community Newspapers.[2]