Bring lemons to room temperature, then roll firmly against the counter to soften their rinds. Halve and juice; pour juice into a sealable container and refrigerate. Cut rinds into 1-inch chunks. Toss with minced chiles and sugar in a large nonreactive mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic, and let stand at room temperature, stirring once every 45 minutes or so, until sugar has completely dissolved, about 3 hours. (You can let the mixture stand up to 12 hours, if desired.) Note: Chiles can vary in heat intensity, as can one's tolerance. We found 6 ounces of a medium-hot chile like a red finger chile worked well, but you may require more or less depending on your chiles and tastes. If in doubt, start with less, then taste the syrup as it develops, adding more chiles if the heat isn't sufficient and macerating longer to pull out their flavor and heat.

Add water and 8 ounces (1 cup) of reserved lemon juice (see note). Stir well, then strain through a nonreactive fine-mesh strainer or piece of cheesecloth into a glass or ceramic container, pressing to express liquid; discard solids. At this point, the concentrated chile-lemonade can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

When ready to serve, pour lemonade over ice and adjust to taste with additional water or lemon juice, depending on personal preference; bear in mind, though, that the lemonade will be diluted as the ice melts. (You will likely have some fresh lemon juice left over, which can be reserved for another use , though exactly how much you have will depend on how much you added to adjust the lemonade.)