Using a potato peeler, carefully peel the skin off of two lemons and one blood orange, taking care to avoid pulling too much of the bitter white pith underneath.

Add the citrus peels, your half cup of sugar or sugar replacement, and a half cup of water into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes until you have a vibrant, fragrant yellow simple syrup. Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain out and discard the peels, and set the syrup aside to cool down.

Slice your lemons and blood oranges in half and juice them entirely into a large pitcher or a wide-mouth mason jar. Pour your cooled simple syrup directly into the fresh juice and stir well to combine.

Top off the citrus mixture with three cups of fresh, cold filtered water and stir thoroughly until fully integrated. Serve your lemonade immediately over plenty of ice, and store any leftover portions tightly covered in the refrigerator.