Strawberry Lemonade
My sister and brother-in-law came over to our house for dinner to celebrate my sister’s birthday recently. Whenever they come over for dinner, I’m usually in charge of drinks. Which basically entails me telling everyone what the drink options are and asking what they would like and then fixing everyone’s drinks for them.
In our house we have everything for Shirley Temples on hand almost always, but sometimes we like to get everything for a drink that we don’t have as often, like one of our favorites, Chocolate Mint Italian Cream Sodas. I’ll have to share that recipe sometime, it’s amazing. But this time I decided to make Strawberry Lemonade. I got this recipe from one of my summer issues of Everyday Food, you can find it here. And of course, I have it copied below, as well.
Emeril’s Strawberry Lemonade
Look for fragrant, bright red strawberries with green caps.
- Prep Time 10 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour
- Yield Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons), plus 1 lemon, sliced, for serving
- 1 pound strawberries (3 cups), hulled and halved
- 16 ounces seltzer, chilled
- Mint sprigs, for serving
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water and sugar to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 2 minutes. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
- In a blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher with lemon syrup, pressing on solids. Stir well to combine.
- To serve, stir in seltzer and divide among ice-filled glasses. Top with lemon slices and mint.
Cook’s Note
Tips for Cooking with Kids: Let the young ones measure the sugar and juice the lemons. They can also help blend the berries and strain the puree before mixing together the finished drink.
Recipe Review
This Strawberry Lemonade was really fantastic! The whole family loved it. It was just how lemonade is supposed to be, sweet with a lemony tartness that is delectable, and the fresh strawberries add a lovely flavor to an already wonderful summer drink. Definitely a great drink for the 4th of July, or any summer occasion.
I learned that this is definitely a drink that should be completely made before guests arrive, which I know may seem obvious, but I only figured that out after I did it the wrong way. I had made the sugar syrup ahead of time, but I did everything else after my sister and brother-in-law had arrived, and it took me awhile to get it ready. Lesson learned: learn to plan ahead.
I think I will have to make this drink a summer tradition, since it is the perfect summer refresher!
Star Rating
4 out of 4
Setting the Bolder Course 