This Unexpected Ingredient Makes It Easy To Whip Up Spiced Lemonade

When life gives you lemons, as the adage goes, you make lemonade. Making lemonade is easy, because the refreshing summer beverage only takes three ingredients to come together: combine equal parts lemonade, water, and sugar (or less if you like your lemonade less sweet and with more of a bite) and then add ice. Each household will undoubtedly have their own variation on mixing the "perfect" lemonade, and even celebrities, from Beyoncé to Ina Garten, will claim to have the recipe to make the best lemonade.

Mixing up your lemonade with an extra star ingredient—like bits of fresh, cool mint—can take your drink to the next level. But for those with more adventurous palates that want to spice things up, there is one unexpected ingredient that can make your lemonade refreshing while also leaving a tingle in your mouth. While it doesn't involve any peppers, you may be surprised by this key ingredient to easy, spiced lemonade, which is also likely already lurking in your refrigerator.

An unexpected use for a classic condiment

According to Barbara Feiner, writing for Organic Authority (via Wonder How To), adding a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to a quarter cup of lemonade will give the classic summertime drink an unexpected kick. Note that it's Dijon mustard; Dijon is key.

Dijon mustard, as Foods Guy explains, is made from brown and black mustard seeds, which are spicier than the milder white and yellow mustard seeds that make up plain old yellow mustard. Spicier Dijon mustard lends your lemonade more flavor, and an unexpected twist. 

While mustard may seem like it should stay in your sandwich or on a hot dog, it is an unexpected and accessible household ingredient to make lemonade (and cocktails) a bit more interesting. As an added bonus, per Healthline, mustard offers health benefits like antioxidants and may even protect against certain cancers. So cheers to that, and bring on the mustard in your lemonade.