Take a break this spring with a refreshing strawberry basil lemonade.
By Hannah Canvasser, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
With the first strawberries of the season, and a few simple ingredients straight from your farmers market, this extravagant looking beverage will have your friends wondering where you’ve hidden your bartender. The trick is with the effortless simple syrup, which not only dilutes the freshly squeezed lemon juice, but gives the lemonade its sweetness, as well as its basil background flavor.
Ingredients
Basil simple syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 bunch basil, washed and cleaned
1 lb strawberries washed, hulled, and sliced ½ inch thick
Lemonade
2 cups lemon juice- about 15 lemons
2 cups basil simple syrup
2 cups cold water
ice
½ lb strawberries washed, hulled, and sliced ½ inch thick for garnish
¼ cup basil for garnish
Procedure
1. Basil simple syrup: combine sugar, 1 cup water, 1 bunch washed basil, 1 lb sliced strawberries in saucepan, stirring over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cool. Strain.
2. Combine fresh squeezed lemon juice, basil simple syrup, cold water, and ice in pitcher
3. Add strawberries and basil as garnish. Serve.
