Ingredients
1 c. granulated sugar
6 c. water, divided
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and halved
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 8 to 10 lemons
Ice
Mint leaves (optional)
Preparation
Step 1In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook until dissolved. Let cool. Step 2In a blender, combine strawberries and 1 cup water. Blend until pureed. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain puree and discard any solids that remain. Step 3In a large pitcher, combine simple syrup, strawberry puree, lemon juice, and remaining 4 cups water. Adjust with more water or lemon juice to taste. Step 4Serve over ice with mint, if desired.
Topping your drink with a sprig of mint adds nice brightness and pop to both flavor and look, but is totally optional! For real mintiness to infuse into your drink, be sure to take the leaves and bruise them with your fingers before stirring into your drink to release all of that flavor. If strawberries aren’t really in season, you can even use defrosted frozen strawberries! One thing that you really want to avoid doing here is using store-bought lemon juice. That stuff usually comes with a bitter note and will leave you with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. Still thirsty? Try out our other lemonade recipes for refreshing drinks all summer long! Once you’ve made a pitcher of this, let us know how it went in the comments below!
