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BA’s Best Lemonade

3.6

(223)

Pitcher of lemonade poured into two glasses on a blue background and concrete surface.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman

Don’t simply relegate this homemade lemonade recipe to the kids’ table—it’s tart, sweet, and intensely refreshing on a hot day. For the biggest bang for your lemon buck, you’ll start by infusing simple syrup with lemon zest. To get large pieces with as little pith (the bitter white part) as possible, dry the lemons and your hands well so that your grip is firm, and use a sharp vegetable peeler. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is a must, so grab a juicer. To keep the ratio of tangy-to-sweet in check, add ice cubes straight to the glasses, not the pitcher, so the drink isn’t diluted.

While this fresh lemonade needs no embellishments, it’s also a versatile base for a host of summer drink recipes: While the syrup steeps, muddle fresh fruit in the pitcher to make raspberry lemonade or strawberry lemonade. Watermelon? Peach? Sure, those work too. (About 2 cups of fruit per batch of lemonade should suffice.) If you prefer a bit of sparkle, swap out half the final pour of cold water for club soda or seltzer. For a full-blown spritz, use only the sparkling water (and maybe a splash of gin). You could also steep spices like sumac and cardamom in the syrup for something more complex or add a sprig of mint to each glass for something more aromatic. And mixing the prepared lemonade by half with brewed black tea quickly turns it into an Arnold Palmer. Prefer limeade? Swap out just half the citrus, lest the drink become too bitter.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    40 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

½

cup (100 g) granulated sugar

The zest from 3 large lemons, removed in wide strips, plus ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Lemon slices (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Simmer ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Let cool 5 minutes. Add the zest from 3 large lemons, removed in wide strips, and let steep 30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Strain lemon syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher; discard zest. Add ¾ cup fresh lemon juice and 3 cups of water; stir to combine. Divide lemonade among 4 tall glasses filled with ice; garnish with lemon slices.

    Do ahead: Lemon syrup can be made 3 days ahead; refrigerate after it comes to room temperature. Lemonade can be made 1 day ahead; keep refrigerated.

    Editor’s note: This fresh lemonade recipe was first printed in July 2015 as part of BA’s Best, a collection of our essential recipes. Head this way for more of our very best summer recipes

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Reviews (223)

Back to TopTriangle
  • You can get to 5-star lemonade by pouring the sugar over the strips of lemon, covering with plastic wrap, then sitting something heavy on top (cans or a mortar and pestle) for an hour, then put the peels and sugar in the fridge overnight. The next day, put the peels and sugar in water and boil, strain, add your juiced lemons, strain, pour water to fill the pitcher over the pulp in the strainer. Yum! (Also makes an excellent mixer for whiskey sours).

    • Rob H.

    • Beaumont TX

    • 7/3/2022

  • After preparing the lemonade, I puree and strain cantaloupe juice and add it along with a few dried hibiscus petals to the base. Tasty combo!

    • Hillary

    • NJ

    • 7/2/2022

  • So delicious. I used lemons and limes . . . the first two times I made it, I was very sick and my brain wasn't functioning well. So I completely didn't see you are to add three cups of water at the end. Instead, I drank it without watering it down and it was DELICIOUS. However, I have since made it by adding two cups of water and like it that way as well.

    • LHJ

    • Charlotte, NC

    • 1/29/2022

  • Absolutely divine! Not too sweet, not too sour, and very easy to make.

    • Anonymous

    • Australia

    • 4/14/2020

  • Delicious! Rather than mix in all the water at once, I diluted it in a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part syrup/juice mixture as needed. The syrup/juice mixture can be stored in the fridge.

    • Anonymous

    • New York

    • 4/4/2020