1 cup water
1 cup sugar
6 lemons (about 1 cup of juice) + 1 lemon for garnish
3 cups water, still or sparkling (about 750ml bottle)
Optional ingredients:
1 grapefruit
1 orange
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, crushed
3 sprigs of mint, slapped between your hands to bruise the leaves.
OR
16 ounces wheat beer
Make a simple syrup by combining 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring this to a simmer to dissolve the sugar and then cool completely.
Juice the lemons, removing all seeds and pulp. Add the 3 cups of water (still or sparkling) to the lemon juice and then add the simple syrup to taste, depending on how sweet you would like the lemonade. I like to start at 1/2 cup. (If you are mixing this with beer for a summer shandy, go a little sweeter and add 3/4 cup.)
Pour over ice and enjoy.
As an option, you can also add the juice of one grapefruit, one orange, some raspberries, or a combination of them all. And almost any version of lemonade is delicious with some bruised mint leaves.
Serving size: 4˝ cups