Description
This recipe creates a vibrant and refreshing strawberry basil lemonade, perfect for a sunny day. It’s a delightful twist on a classic, bringing together sweet strawberries, aromatic basil, and tart lemon for a truly invigorating drink.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6–8 lemons)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or to taste)
- 4 cups cold water
- Ice cubes
- Fresh strawberry slices and basil sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the sliced strawberries and basil leaves. Blend until smooth.
- Strain the strawberry-basil puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
- Add the fresh lemon juice and sugar to the pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour in the cold water and stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Taste and adjust sweetness or tartness as needed by adding more sugar or lemon juice.
- Chill the lemonade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve the strawberry basil lemonade over ice, garnished with fresh strawberry slices and basil sprigs.
Notes
- For a less sweet lemonade, reduce the amount of sugar.
- If you prefer a stronger basil flavor, add a few more basil leaves to the blender.
- You can make a simple syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then cooling it. This ensures the sugar is fully incorporated.
- This lemonade can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg