Drinks · American
Fresh Mint Lemonade
Homemade lemonade made with fresh lemon juice and a mint-infused simple syrup. Makes about 6 cups.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Steep and chill
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Makes
- about 6 cups
- Level
- Easy
Making a simple syrup first dissolves the sugar completely, so the lemonade is smooth rather than gritty, and steeping mint in the warm syrup infuses it with a clean, cool flavour.
Taste before serving: lemons vary in sharpness, so you may want a little more water or syrup.
Recipe card
Fresh Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
Quantities are scaled. Amounts mentioned in the steps refer to the original 6 servings. Tips for scaling.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Citrus juicer
- Large pitcher (about 2 quarts / 2 litres)
- Fine-mesh strainer
Instructions
Combine the sugar and 1 cup (240 ml) water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely, about 3 minutes. Do not let it boil hard.
Remove from the heat, add the mint leaves and press them gently with a spoon. Steep for 20 minutes, then strain out the mint.
Cool the syrup completely.
In the pitcher, combine the syrup, lemon juice and cold water. Stir, taste, and adjust with more water if it is too strong.
Chill until cold, at least 30 minutes. Serve over ice with mint sprigs.
Times are estimates. Status: Awaiting kitchen test (what this means).
Nutrition is not listed. We publish nutrition only after calculating it from a recognised food-composition database.
Gluten-free: none of the ingredients as written contain gluten. If you need to avoid gluten strictly, check the labels on packaged ingredients for gluten or cross-contact warnings.
Tips for success
- Roll lemons firmly on the counter before cutting; they release more juice.
Substitutions
- Mint
- Basil or a few slices of fresh ginger in the syrup.
- Some of the cold water
- Sparkling water, added just before serving.
Storage and make-ahead
Fridge
Keeps 5 days in a covered pitcher. The mint syrup keeps 2 weeks on its own.
Freezer
Freeze in ice-cube trays and use the cubes to chill fresh lemonade without diluting it.
Reheating
Not applicable.
Make ahead
Make the syrup up to 2 weeks ahead.
Questions and troubleshooting
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
You can, but fresh juice tastes noticeably brighter. If using bottled, choose one that is 100% lemon juice.
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