Measure out the sugar and place in a large glass measuring cup, jar, or bowl.
Juice the lemons, straining out the pulp until you have one cup of juice. Pour the lemon juice into the sugar.
Stir the mixture together until completely dissolved.
Pour the lemon juice mixture into a large serving pitcher. Add the water and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve chilled lemonade over ice with lemon slices, if desired.
Notes
When choosing your lemons, look for lemons that are on the softer side versus rock hard. These lemons will be juicier.
Hold a lemon in each hand. If they are the same size but one is heavier than the other, that’s the one you want.
Allow your lemons to come to room temperature before juicing them.
Roll the lemons between your hand and the countertop before cutting them.