My go to summer drink is mint lemonade. I get a request for the recipe almost every time I make it. My first experience with mint lemonade was in Houston, at an amazing restaurant called Tiny's NO. 5.  I had a family member who worked there and as a result, I became addicted to many of the menu items. Of course their lemonade was fresh squeezed and that is definitely the best possible tasting option. I want to get one of those amazing lemon presses that would make it an actually feasable option every time, but for now I usually use a premade frozen mix and I make it a little different than the directions say. 

If you are buying pre squeezed lemon juice, the best tasting option is the frozen kind. Some places don't have it though, sorry.  The kind I have found is Minute Maid and it is in the freezer section with juice mixes. It is 8 oz though, so if you wanted to make a whole batch of lemonade with it, you would need like 3 of them... I would NOT make lemonade with the little lemon shaped containers in the produce area.  The flavor is not good enough for something where it is the showcase. 

As for the tartness... I prefer a pretty strong lemonade. When you are using different brands of premade frozen lemonade concentrate, the strength and sweetness can vary greatly. You will need to be able to use your own taste preference to make sure that you get it the way you want it. But I usually add a lot of ice and I like for my drink to still taste good half way through, so I like it to start strong. 

Mint Lemonade (fresh lemon juice)

3 cups Sugar

2 1/4 cups Lemon juice

1 gallon Water (1/2 quart hot and 3 1/2 quarts ice cold)

Handful of fresh sweet mint or spearmint

Sliced lemon for garnish

1. Have a pitcher/container ready that will hold 1 1/4 gallons or half the recipe. Combine your sugar in 1/2 quart (2 cups) hot or boiling water, stir until dissolved. Add your washed mint, lemon juice, and remaining 3 1/2 quarts (14 cups) ice cold water. 

Mint Lemonade (semi homemade style)

1 Frozen lemonade concentrate mix

1 cup sugar

Juice from 1 lemon or 2 tbsp frozen lemon juice

1 1/2 cups hot water

4 1/2 cups ice water

Half a handful of fresh sweet mint or spearmint

Sliced lemon for garnish

1. Have a normal 1/2 gallon pitcher ready. Combine sugar and hot water, stir until sugar is dissolved. Add lemonade concentrate, lemon juice, ice water, and washed mint. Taste to determine if it is too sour (needs more sugar), is not tart enough (needs more lemon), or is too tart (needs more water).