Real Homemade Lemonade

1. 1Peel the zest from 4 of the lemons in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, taking as little of the white pith as you can. Pith is where the bitterness is.
2. 2Put the zest, sugar and 250 ml water in a small pan and warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Don't let it boil hard — you want a syrup, not a caramel.
3. 3Take it off the heat and leave the zest to steep in the hot syrup for 15 minutes. This is the step most recipes skip, and it's the difference between lemonade that tastes of lemon and lemonade that just tastes sour.
4. 4Meanwhile, juice all 8 lemons. You're after about 250 ml. Roll them firmly on the worktop first and they'll give up noticeably more.
5. 5Strain the syrup to remove the zest, pressing gently to get everything out, then stir it into the lemon juice.
6. 6Add the cold water a little at a time, tasting as you go. How sharp you want it is genuinely personal, and lemons vary a lot between batches.
7. 7Chill thoroughly, then serve over lots of ice with mint if you like. Add the ice to the glass, not the jug, or it waters down as it sits.

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