One of my favorite drinks to make in the summer time is fresh lemonade. I love fresh lemonade and I love experimenting with different flavors like the ginger lemonade I posted last year. I realize that strawberry lemonade isn’t exactly a new flavor combination but it’s one of my favorites and it’s also a great way to use up fresh strawberries this time of year.
You’ll notice in the picture that I’m floating strawberries in the glass. Sometimes I like to take frozen strawberries instead of or along with ice to keep the drink cold.
Fresh lemonade is relatively simple, all it takes is the willingness to juice fresh lemons, make a simple syrup, and if you like to throw in an extra flavor or two. It’s probably one of the most refreshing drinks you can make on a hot summer day – well the most refreshing non-alcoholic drink that is, Tory might take issue if I don’t add that caveat. Although there’s nothing wrong with a splash of something to spike your lemonade.
Here’s what you need:
Start by mixing up some simple syrup, which is just equal parts sugar and water. I used 1 ½ cups of each. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Blend up some strawberries until completely pureed, I used two cups.
Add the strawberries to a pitcher.
Now it’s time to juice those lemons. I either like to use this OXO juicer (#EarnsCommission) that includes a measuring cup or my handheld citrus juicer (#EarnsCommission). No matter what method you use, you’ll want to get about a cup and a half of fresh lemon juice. This has taken me anywhere from 14 small to 8 large lemons depending on size and how juicy they are.
Add the lemon juice to the pitcher.
Then the simple syrup. Depending on how sweet you like it, you can start with a half cup and add it gradually until it’s about as sweet as you like. We’re going to dilute this further with water, however, I’ve found that by tasting the lemonade concentrate I can still judge the sweetness pretty well.
Now fill the pitcher with 6 cups of cold water. Stir together.
Serve over ice or frozen strawberries.
Enjoy!
Note: if you have any leftovers, be prepared to stir before enjoying as the strawberry puree will likely separate in the fridge.
- 1 ½ c water
- 1 ½ c sugar
- 2 c fresh strawberries
- 1 ½ c fresh squeeze lemon juice
- 6 c cold water
- Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar to a boil. Stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until completely pureed.
- In a large pitcher mix together the simple syrup, strawberries, lemon juice, and water.
- Serve over ice.
[…] to a simmer until the sugar dissolves and allow it to cool to room temp. Check out pictures on my Strawberry Lemonade recipe if you want to see that […]