Perfect Lemonade

I made this for AJ and Kelsie and Matt when they came over not too long ago. I didn't have time to make a pot of Mom's Iced Tea, and I didn't have anything to offer them to drink. So, since I had a bunch of lemons, I figured I'd make some fresh lemonade. It's not my own recipe, but it's definitely a keeper. Actually, come to think f it, I can't even remember where I found this recipe. No idea.. Anyway, It was ready in no time at all, and everyone loved it! AJ and Matt even added a little bit of fresh mint to it. You could even add a few slices of orange to it. YUM.
 So there you have it. Easy. Thirst-quenching. Perfect. Give this one a try the next time you feel like a nice tall ice-cold glass of summer. It's SO refreshing!

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
4 cups cold water 

  Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely. 
 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer or reamer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
 Add the juice and simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 4 cups of cold water. Chill. Serve over ice, with a slice of lemon or sprig of mint.

Tips:
The thing that makes this lemonade so perfect is the use of the simple syrup. Since the sugar is already dissolved, you won't have any sinking to the bottom. I like to chill the simple syrup before I add the juice and the cold water to it. Just sayin.
If you like your lemonade a little more tart than sweet, just add a little extra lemon juice.
Like I always say, if you're making something that has ONE flavor, make sure you use REAL  ingredients. You don't want to take any shortcuts! If you're making vanilla cookies, you use PURE vanilla. The same thing applies here. If you're making FRESH lemonade, you must use FRESH lemon juice. Otherwise, you might as well just use a powdered drink mix.