Lemonade Recipe

Combine sugar and water

Place 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan.

Heat until dissolved

Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear (do not boil). This usually takes 3–5 minutes.

Cool syrup

Remove the saucepan from heat and let the simple syrup cool to room temperature. You can speed this by transferring to a heatproof container and placing in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes.

Juice the lemons

Roll lemons on the countertop to loosen juices, cut in half, and juice until you have 1 cup (about 4–6 medium lemons). Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup to remove seeds and excess pulp if desired.

Mix lemon juice and syrup

In a large pitcher, combine the 1 cup fresh lemon juice and the cooled simple syrup. Stir to blend thoroughly.

Dilute with water

Add 4 cups cold water to the pitcher and stir. Taste and adjust: if too sweet, add additional cold water a few tablespoons at a time; if too tart, add up to 2 tablespoons more simple syrup.

Chill

Add ice to the pitcher or pour lemonade over ice-filled glasses. Refrigerate the pitcher for 30–60 minutes if you prefer very cold lemonade before serving.

Garnish and serve

Serve lemonade in glasses with ice cubes, garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint if using. Stir before drinking.