Grand Ole Opry Lemonade

Recipe from Diana “Lemonade” McBride

Adapted by Emily Cochrane and Cathy Lo

Updated December 3, 2025

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Ready In
24 hr
(5 min, plus 24 hr chilling)
Rating
3(49)
Comments
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Diana McBride doesn’t even like lemonade — even with more sugar, it’s just not the flavor for her. But behind the scenes at the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville institution and longtime country music radio show, she took it upon herself to start making lemonade for everyone backstage at each show. And now, while she has a catchall role in backstage hospitality, most people there only know her as “Lemonade,” and the recipe is so sacrosanct that no one else has it. She goes so far as to avoid taking long stretches of vacation and makes gallons in advance of her days off, so there’s almost always a batch on hand. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Opry, she shared an adaptation of the recipe, still keeping some lemonade secrets for herself. One secret, she wrote in an email, “is letting it sit overnight so the flavors mix together and become delicious. I hope you enjoy making your tea and lemonade as much as I do making it at the Grand Ole Opry.” — Emily Cochrane

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Ingredients

Yield:1 gallon

  • Favorite lemonade mix

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • Ice

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Into a container large enough to fit 1 gallon of liquid, measure out the amount of lemonade mix needed, per the label, for 1 gallon of lemonade then add ¼ cup more lemonade mix. And add 2 tablespoons of sugar. (Adding sugar makes the tart not so tart.)

  2. Step 2

    Now fill your container with about ½ gallon of water. Shake or stir until mixed well. Finish filling with water to equal 1 gallon and shake or stir.

  3. Step 3

    Let this sit in the fridge for 24 hours so the flavors become best friends. Serve with ice.

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Ratings

3 out of 5
49 user ratings
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Comments

Dsquared

I substituted real lemons for a mix, used a simple syrup, and added some fresh mint. This is definitely a keeper.

ST

Lemonade mix?! How about lemons?

Ocean avenue

I’ve let this marinate in the fridge for as long as three days: time really enhances the flavor of the artificial concentrate.

S

Forty plus year old recipe. 2 paper packets of Kool-aid Lemonade (pink lemonade looks beautiful) plus 1 cup sugar for each pack as per the directions. First, dissolve packets & sugar in 1 cup hot water. Pour into clear gallon jug with spigot. Add remaining cold water leaving an inch or so space so not quite one gallon. Grab 4 lemons, cut off ends then slice in 1/4 inch slices, giving each slice a little squeeze to release the juice as you drop it in the lemonade. Stir. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

Megan

People should read the wonderful story that accompanied this “recipe” and realize it’s about traditions at a southern institution. I would love to visit the Grand Ole Opry someday and sample Diana’s lemonade in person. If you’re looking for a fresh lemonade recipe, I’m sure you can find one elsewhere in the NYT recipes.

D

But the point is that it’s not a recipe and most especially, not the recipe used at the Opry because Diana admitted she purposely left things out of it that are her secrets. The article about her is lovely, the “recipe” shared was not.

Tehmina

Make with lemons, add salt and a pinch of black pepper, sip while stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt to check how much suits your taste, add ice cubes, keep stirring and sipping. Enjoy on a hot day when losing salts through sweating. Ideally you should have already drunk a glass I. The process of making this.

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