With summer here it is time to start looking for ways to keep cool on the steadily hotter days and what better way to do so than with a cool and refreshing glass of lemonade? Instead of running out to the store to get some, how about making your own? Trust me, it’s dead easy; it’s simply lemons, sugar and water along with about five minutes of effort and the results are so much better than ‘from concentrate’! Bored with plain old lemonade? Try adding something to it like one of the many ripe, in season summer fruits or berries like strawberries! As exciting as a fruity lemonade is how about making it even more interesting by adding a fresh herb like basil or mint? This strawberry and basil lemonade is so easy to make from scratch at home and it is sure to keep you cool, hydrated and refreshed on the hot summer days to come!
Summer is going to be so good!
Blueberry lemonade anyone? Blackberry? Peach? There are just too many options to choose from!
There are two easy ways to get the fruit or berries into your lemonade, you can simply puree them and add them to the lemonade or you can use them to make a simple syrup and use that in the lemonade. I like pureeing the fruit or berries in a food processor as I like the texture that the small bits of fruit add to the lemonade, though if you prefer you can always strain those bits from the puree. Fruity simple syrups are as easy to make as simmering the fruit or berries in water and sugar to extract their flavour. These syrups keep for a long time in the fridge and can be using in many alcoholic and virgin drinks or on pancakes, etc. so they are always nice to have on hand.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade
A cool and refreshing homemade strawberry and basil lemonade.
ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled
- 1/4 cup basil (or mint)
- 1 cup lemon juice (~4-6 lemons)
- 1 cup simple syrup*
- 4 cups water
- ice to taste
directions
- Puree the strawberries and basil in a food processor or blender and optionally strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Mix the strawberry and basil puree, lemon juice, simple syrup, water and ice and enjoy.
Tip: Add gin or other alcohol for an adult version!
Blueberry and blackberry lemonade sound amazing, thanks for the great ideas!
That is one gorgeous lemonade!!
This looks so refreshing! I never thought of combining basil, strawberries, and lemon. Awesome idea. 🙂
Gorgeous! This sounds awesome, Kevin
Yummy!! Love the gorgeous colors in this lemonade 🙂
The strawberry basil infusion in this is just lovely! Such a fabulous summer recipe.
Do you use bottled lemon juice or how many lemons would yield a cup of lemon juice? Thanks.
I love all berries and this sounds fresh and delicious, love strawberries, miss them , we are in winter here only find sometimes…
looks so good. How many calories? Any substitutes for the sugar?
Rather than using lemon juice alone, I strongly suggest peeling as much zest as possible from the lemons before juicing them. Put the zest in cold water and slowly bring it to a boil. Strain out the zest and use the water to make the simple syrup.
This method gives a much fuller and interesting lemon flavor than does the juice by itself.
Anonymous: Feel free to use your sweetener of choice!
Karen: Definitely fresh lemon juice and 1 cup should be about 4-6 lemons. Enjoy!
How refreshing! Looks absolutely amazing. Perfect for a hot day 🙂
Basil Lemonade is wonderful. As is lavendar limeade.
I made a Basil Lemon Drop the other day and it was heaven.
Strawberry basil, what an awesome combo! It's not often you see basil with drinks, but it sounds so interesting, I think I might just have to try it. I tend to make a lot of lemonade, I think strawberry basil is next on the list : )
this looks so refreshing!! I love the images ! 🙂
Could you substitute honey instead of simple syrup for this recipe?
Anonymous: Yes, honey would work, mix it in a bit at a time until you reach the desired level of sweetness.