Sparkling Yuzu Lemonade Recipe

Make the flavored simple syrup

Combine 240 ml water, 0.75 cups granulated sugar and 1 tbs yuzu zest in a small saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is fully dissolved (about 3–4 minutes). Do not boil vigorously — you only need to dissolve the sugar and infuse the zest.

Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and let the zest steep in the hot syrup for 10 minutes to extract aromatic oils and bright citrus flavor.

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl or jar, pressing lightly on the zest to extract liquid, then discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes (can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days). The yield will be about 240 ml of yuzu-flavored syrup.

Combine juices and syrup

In a 1.5–2 L pitcher, add 80 ml fresh yuzu juice and 60 ml fresh lemon juice. Stir in the chilled yuzu-lemon syrup (use all of the syrup prepared above, about 240 ml) until combined.

Taste the mix and adjust sweetness or acidity if needed: add up to 60 ml more chilled syrup to sweeten, or a splash (5–10 ml) more lemon juice to brighten.

Add ice and sparkling water

Fill serving glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per glass) or add 4 cups of ice to the pitcher if preferred. Pour the juice + syrup mixture evenly into four glasses over ice, filling each glass about one-third to halfway.

Top each glass with chilled sparkling water, dividing 960 ml evenly among the four servings (approximately 240 ml per glass). Gently stir once to combine and preserve carbonation.

Garnish and serve

Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig (optional). Serve immediately while sparkling.

Storage/tips: Leftover syrup keeps refrigerated up to 3 days. For a less-sweet version, use 720–840 ml sparkling water total (instead of 960 ml) or reduce syrup used when assembling.