Wash 2 pounds fresh strawberries under cool running water. Remove the green hulls by cutting them out with a small knife or using a hulling tool. Pat the strawberries completely dry with paper towels—about 2 minutes. Dry strawberries prevent watery lemonade.

Place the dried strawberries into a blender in batches if necessary. Blend on high speed for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth with no chunks remaining. The puree should be vibrant pink and flow easily.

Pour the strawberry puree through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Using the back of a spoon, gently press the puree against the sieve to extract all the liquid and fine pulp—about 3–4 minutes. You should extract approximately 1.5 to 2 cups of strawberry juice. Discard the seeds and fibrous pulp left in the sieve. Checkpoint: Your strawberry juice should be smooth, bright pink, and free of large particles.

Cut 5–6 fresh lemons in half. Using a citrus juicer or electric juicer, squeeze all the lemons to extract the juice. You need approximately 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and excess pulp if desired—about 2 minutes. Checkpoint: You should have 1 cup of clear or slightly cloudy lemon juice.

In a large glass pitcher (at least 2-quart capacity), pour the strained strawberry juice. Add the strained lemon juice. Pour in 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 6 cups of cold filtered water or spring water.

Stir vigorously with a long spoon for 2–3 minutes, making sure all the sugar completely dissolves. Stir until you no longer see sugar crystals at the bottom of the pitcher. Checkpoint: The mixture should be uniformly pink and taste balanced between sweet and tart.

Taste the lemonade. If it's too sweet, add 1/4 cup more cold water and stir. If it's too tart, add 1–2 tablespoons more sugar, stir, and taste again. Adjust in small increments until the flavor is exactly how you like it—about 1–2 minutes per adjustment.

Fill four tall glasses (about 12 ounces each) with ice cubes, filling each glass about three-quarters full. This typically takes 3–4 minutes if using a freezer-made ice or ice machine.

Pour the chilled strawberry lemonade over the ice in each glass, filling to about 1 inch from the top—about 1 minute total. The drink should be very cold and slightly frothy from pouring.

Slice one fresh lemon into thin rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Select four large whole strawberries. Tear or gently bruise 4–5 fresh mint leaves to release their oils—about 30 seconds of light hand-crushing.

Garnish each glass by placing one strawberry slice on the rim, adding one lemon wheel floating in the drink, and placing a small sprig of mint into the glass. Stir each drink gently with a long bar spoon to distribute flavors—about 1 minute total.

Serve immediately while very cold. The drink is best consumed within 15–20 minutes of assembly so the ice doesn't melt and dilute the flavor. If serving to a crowd, keep the pitcher on ice and garnish each glass as it's poured.