Whole-Lemon Lemonade

Step 1

For the lemonade: Slice off both ends of the lemons. Quarter both lemons lengthwise. Trim the segment wall (any pithy white parts) from the tips of each quarter and remove any seeds. Add the trimmed lemon quarters to a regular or high-powered blender. Pour in the sugar and 1 cup of water. Blend until completely smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 4 more cups of water to the blender and blend until the liquids combine, another 5 to 10 seconds.

Step 2

For the mix-ins: At this point, you can add the blueberries, strawberries or mint to flavor your lemonade, and blend again until smooth.

Step 3

If you are using a high-powered blender, you can pour this directly from the blender into a glass over ice, or transfer to a covered pitcher or jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Step 4

If you are using a standard blender, you will need to strain your lemonade through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the bitter pulp that remains. Use a rubber spatula to press juice out of the pulp in the strainer. Discard the pulp and serve the lemonade over ice.