Begin by peeling and chopping the large ripe pineapple into small pieces. In a large pot, combine the chopped pineapple with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple becomes tender and fragrant.

After simmering, allow the mixture to cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Then, strain the pineapple mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher, ensuring you extract all the delicious pineapple-infused water. Discard the solid pineapple pieces.

In a separate saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining 4 cups of water with the 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves completely, which should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the lemon simple syrup to cool completely.

Once the simple syrup has cooled, pour it into the pitcher with the pineapple-infused water. Add in the 1 ½ cups of fresh lemon juice and the ½ cup of cranberry juice cocktail. Stir well to mix all the flavors.

Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. After chilling, taste and adjust the sweetness or tartness.

Fill tall glasses with ice cubes to keep it refreshingly cold. Pour the lemonade over the ice, and garnish each glass with lemon slices, pineapple wedges, and fresh mint sprigs.