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(66)
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
66 user ratings
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Comments

ST

Lemonade mix?! How about lemons?

Dsquared

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

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.

Carol

Love the vodka suggestion. I find gin and its botanical essences really enhance the artificial concentrates. I also find that the cheapest generic lemonade mix is the best when mixing with a fine gin. I skip the ice entirely and serve it in shot glasses.

Fred Lane

Lemonade mixes are citric and/or tartaric acid plus sweeteners. No need to eat the artificial ones.

Steve

I've been making this exact recipe since I was 7.

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