Easy Homemade Lemonade with Zest

Zest the thin yellow skin of the lemons, avoiding the bitter white pith and save the zested lemons and set aside.

Measure your lemon zest and add it to a bowl, then add double the amount of sugar as you have lemon zest, for example 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup lemon zest.

Mix to combine, then muddle.

Cover for 4 hours at room temperature.

Bring water to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the water with the lemon and sugar mixture to create a lemon-sugar simple syrup.

Mix, then strain into a jar and set aside.

Grab the zested lemons and juice them.

In a glass, combine the lemon juice, the lemon syrup, and water or sparkling water.