Meyer Lemonade Recipe

Prepare lemons

Zest 4 of the Meyer lemons finely, avoiding the bitter white pith. Juice all 6 Meyer lemons to yield approximately 1 cup (8 fl oz) of fresh lemon juice. Strain juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and pulp if desired.

Make syrup

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, the reserved lemon zest, and the strained Meyer lemon juice. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring just to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes to marry flavors, then remove from heat. Let the syrup cool to room temperature (about 15–20 minutes). Strain out the zest into a heatproof pitcher or bowl and discard the solids. This yields roughly 16 fl oz of Meyer lemon syrup.

Taste the syrup and adjust sweetness: if it’s too bright, return briefly to heat and add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar, stirring to dissolve; if too sweet, add up to 1 tablespoon of water or a splash of extra lemon juice.

Combine and chill

In a 64 fl oz (2 quart) pitcher, add 16 fl oz (2 cups) of the cooled Meyer lemon syrup. Pour in 48 fl oz (6 cups) cold water and stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust: for stronger lemonade, add up to 2 fl oz extra syrup; for lighter, add more cold water in 4 fl oz increments.

Add ice and serve

Add about 6 cups of ice to the pitcher (or fill glasses with ice when serving) and stir once more to chill. Garnish the pitcher or individual glasses with reserved lemon slices and mint sprigs if using.

If you want a sugared rim on individual glasses: wet the rim lightly with a lemon slice, then dip into coarse sugar. Pour lemonade into glasses and place one lemon slice and a mint sprig on each for presentation.

Serve immediately over ice. Unused lemonade can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days; stir or gently shake before serving as separation may occur.