welcome to my lemonade obsession

Anybody that knows me, knows that the only beverage that is constantly fully stocked in my fridge is lemonade. I could live on that stuff. That, and tea. (You have no idea how happy I was when I first discovered Arnold Palmers... oh Lord have mercy).

So you can imagine how many times I have made homemade lemonade. Growing up, we had a huge lemon tree in our backyard so we made lemonade to satisfy an army basically. Still, when I go visit my parents, I bring back a huge bag of lemons. My mom finally perfected her favorite homemade lemonade. But hey, I think I've perfected mine too.

Inspired by one of my absolute favorite little restaurant in Pasadena, Tender Greens, I seem to have perfected some classy mint lemonade. The perfect pretty drink for having company over! I never even want to even drink it because of how cute it looks in this new juice container I found at Target.

All you need is 2 cups of sugar, 6 cups of water (divided), 2 cups of lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves. Also, sometimes I'll throw in some raspberries or strawberries for fun, so that's always good to have on hand.

First, make some simple syrup. Place 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir it until the sugar is dissolved and then let it cool.

Place 2 cups of lemon juice in a large pitcher (it will take anywhere from 4-8 lemons to get this much juice depending on the size of them). Then add 4 cups of water and 1 cup of the simple syrup. You may need to add more of the simple syrup to taste, depending on how sweet or tart you like your lemonade. Then stir in 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves and mix in the raspberries or chopped strawberries if you have them, and refrigerate one hour.

The perfect drink for summer (and spring, and winter, and fall... lets be honest).