Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

Before you start

Good lemonade comes down to a ratio and a habit. The ratio here is one part fresh lemon juice to one part 1:1 simple syrup to about four parts cold water, which lands on the bright, clearly sweet side. The habit is tasting the pitcher before it goes on ice, because lemons vary a lot in acidity from week to week.

Dissolving the sugar into a syrup first is the key decision. Granulated sugar stirred straight into cold juice settles at the bottom and leaves the first glass sour and the last one cloying. A syrup mixes evenly in seconds. Zest steeped in the warm syrup adds a fragrant lemon-oil note that juice alone cannot give, but strain it out so the drink does not turn bitter as it sits.

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice — about 5 to 6 large lemons
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 240 ml (1 cup) water — for the syrup
• Zest of 2 lemons — removed in wide strips with a peeler
• 960 ml (4 cups) cold water — plus more to taste
• To serve ice and lemon slices

Method

1. Peel wide strips of zest from 2 lemons, taking only the yellow skin and as little white pith as possible.
2. Combine the sugar and 240 ml water in the saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar disappears and the liquid turns clear, about 3 minutes. It does not need to boil.
3. Take the syrup off the heat, drop in the zest strips and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
4. While the syrup cools, roll the lemons firmly on the counter, halve them and juice them. Strain out seeds and pulp until you have 240 ml.
5. Strain the cooled syrup into the pitcher and discard the zest. Add the lemon juice and 960 ml cold water and stir.
6. Taste. If it is too tart, add syrup or a spoon of sugar dissolved in a little warm water; if it is too sweet or strong, add cold water 60 ml at a time.
7. Chill the pitcher, or pour over ice in glasses with lemon slices. Stir again before each pour.

Tips for success

• Room-temperature lemons give more juice than cold ones. Rolling them under your palm first helps too.
• Pour lemonade over ice in the glass rather than filling the pitcher with ice, so the batch does not get weaker as it sits.
• Meyer lemons are sweeter and less acidic; cut the syrup by about a quarter if you use them.

Substitutions

Granulated sugar

Honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water) adds a floral, slightly darker flavor. Use the same volume as the simple syrup.

Still water

Top each glass with chilled soda water for sparkling lemonade. Mix the base with only 480 ml still water so the soda does not dilute it too far.

Fresh lemon juice

Bottled lemon juice tastes cooked and flat. Pasteurized fresh-pressed juice from the refrigerated aisle is a better shortcut.

Variations

Mint lemonade

Steep a handful of mint leaves in the warm syrup with the zest, then strain.

Pink lemonade

Replace 60 ml of the water with cranberry juice for color and a light tartness.

Troubleshooting

Bitter aftertaste

Pith got into the zest or juice, or seeds were crushed. Peel more lightly and strain the juice well.

The first glass is sour and the last is syrupy

The sugar was not fully dissolved or the pitcher settled. Use syrup rather than raw sugar and stir before pouring.

It tastes weak once iced

Reduce the cold water to 720 ml so ice melt brings it back into balance.

Storage

Refrigerate in a covered pitcher and drink within 3 days; fresh juice loses its brightness after the first day. The simple syrup alone keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for 2 to 4 weeks; discard it if it turns cloudy.

Safety notes

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is unpasteurized. FDA advises that unpasteurized juice can carry harmful bacteria, so pasteurized juice is the safer choice for young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system.