Combine 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves. It should be hot, but not boiling.
2 cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar
Pour syrup into a heat safe container and cool in the refrigerator.
Lemonade
Squeeze lemons until you have one cup of juice. Put juice in a half gallon pitcher.
8-10 juiced lemons
Add the cooled syrup, water, and lemon juice to a pitcher. Stir until well combined and serve over ice.
5 cups water, ice
Notes
Make more or less of this lemonade by sticking to the same ratios included in this recipe – equal parts water and sugar for the simple syrup, then a 2:1:5 ratio for the simple syrup, lemon juice, and water. This is a mildly sweet lemonade. If you want a more intense lemon flavor, you can increase the amount of lemon juice or decrease the amount of simple syrup. I’ve tried it with equal parts simple syrup and lemon juice and it’s still good, just a lot more sour than the way the recipe is originally written. Or if that is too much juice for you, you can start with 1 3/4 simple syrup and 1 1/4 lemon juice. Just keep in mind the amount of simple syrup will impact the sweetness and the amount of juice will impact the tartness.Serve cold lemonade over ice rather than adding ice to the pitcher itself. If you add a lot of ice to the mixture, it can really dilute the flavor.Store in the refrigerator in a pitcher for up to a week. Stir the lemonade with a wooden spoon before serving.Freeze the lemonade in an ice cube tray then defrost a couple of cubes whenever you want homemade lemonade. You can also let them freeze just slightly to enjoy a frozen lemonade, similar to a lemonade granita.