Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If you don't have a sifter, that's fine, just stir everything together. I like to use my vintage sifter any chance I get. Mix in the lemon zest.
Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork until it resembles dry oatmeal. Pour in the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix quickly with a spoon just until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball (do not overwork the dough, only about 30 seconds).
Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick and then cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. You can combine the cut edges of the dough back together and cut out a few more biscuits. This amount makes 8 ea. 3" biscuits.
If you want, brush the tops of the biscuits with a little melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Note to self; next time double the batch, roll them out a little thicker (about 3/4") and cut with a 4" cutter for a better presentation. More biscuit=more love.