Strawberry Basil Lemonade
This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe tastes incredible thanks to a few secret ingredients. It's better than restaurant lemonade and the perfect refreshing drink for hot days!
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Servings: 8 cups lemonade
Ingredients
For The Strawberry-Basil Simple Syrup:
- 2 cups strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup loosely packed basil leaves
To Make The Strawberry-Basil Lemonade:
- Strawberry-basil simple syrup above
- Ice
- 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice about 7-9 lemons
- 1 1/2-2 cups cold water or sparkling water*
Instructions
- Start The Strawberry Basil Simple Syrup. Add strawberries, sugar, 1 cup water, and the basil to a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring regularly to help break down the berries.
- Simmer & Infuse. Continue to simmer the strawberry simple syrup 10-15 minutes or so, until it smells fragrant and the syrup has thickened somewhat.
- Strain The Syrup. Set a strainer over a bowl or large liquid measuring cup and pour the strawberry basil simple syrup over the strainer to allow the liquid to drain into the bowl. Do NOT press down on the strawberries in an attempt to extract more juice or the simple syrup will be cloudy. (If that doesn't bother you, go ahead!)
- Cool The Syrup. Allow the strawberry syrup to cool to at least room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
- Make Your Lemonade! When you're ready to mix up your lemonade, add ice to a large pitcher and pour in the strawberry-basil simple syrup. Top with lemon juice, and add water. Stir to combine, and add your favorite garnishes!
- Sip Or Store. Pour lemonade into glasses & enjoy the right away, or you can make it without ice and store in the refrigerator 5-7 days.
Notes
*Taste & Adjust. Since you're adding ice to the pitcher (which will melt and dilute the lemonade somewhat), I tend to make the strawberry basil lemonade a bit on the strong side at first. Give it a taste and if you need to dilute it more, you can add more water until it feels right to you!
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/strawberry-basil-lemonade/