Yuzu Lemonade Recipe

Combine and heat

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup fresh yuzu juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 tablespoon yuzu zest. Stir gently to combine.

Dissolve sugar

Place the saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture, stirring frequently, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the liquid is just starting to steam (do not boil). This should take about 3–5 minutes.

Infuse and cool

Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from heat and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes to infuse the zest flavor into the syrup. After steeping, strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container, pressing gently on the zest to extract liquid. Discard solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (about 30–45 minutes) if time allows.

Mix base lemonade

In a large pitcher, combine the chilled yuzu syrup with 4 cups cold water. Stir well and taste. Adjust sweetness or acidity by adding up to 1/4 cup additional water to dilute or up to 2 tablespoons extra lemon juice if you prefer brighter acidity.

Serve over ice

Fill glasses with ice (about 1/2 cup per glass). Pour the yuzu lemonade over the ice. Garnish each glass with a thin yuzu or lemon slice and a sprig of mint if using.

Make-ahead and storage

Store any leftover lemonade in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir gently before serving, as natural separation may occur.

Sparkling substitution

To make sparkling yuzu lemonade, replace half or all of the 4 cups cold water in the 'Lemonade assembly' with 4 cups chilled sparkling water. Add the sparkling water right before serving to preserve carbonation. Gently stir to combine.