Pimm's, and a Lemonade Recipe

I can't think of a nicer way to spend a mid-week, summer evening than sitting here sipping a Pimm's and lemonade. I made the lemonade, but any old kind will do. People have all sorts of oddball ideas when it comes to Pimm's. You really don't need all the crap in the glass (cucumber, borage, apple slices, etc.) what you need is ice, lemonade, possibly a spritz of ginger ale and another slug of gin for good measure. Anything else is vulgar. The drink pictured is Pimm's and lemonade with ice.

Here's how to make a lemonade worthy of your overpriced (in the US anyway) bottle of Pimm's:

4 lemons, well scrubbed
2 cups granulated sugar
1 quart boiling water
1 quart cold water

Slice lemons and place in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with sugar and let stand 10 minutes. With a potato masher, crush the slices until most of the juice has been released. Pour on the boiling water and stir until sugar dissolves. When cool enough to handle, use your hands to extract all the bits of pulp from rind. Strain. Add remaining water and chill.