Happy Thursday, everyone! One more day until the weekend!! Since you all seem to like these Thirsty Thursday posts so much, here’s another one. I found this recipe inspiration from Jessica on How Sweet It Is — she has tons of great drink recipes so hop over there if you get a chance… or get thirsty.
I am providing both an alcoholic and an unleaded version of this beverage because I think it works perfectly both ways. I could see this being incorporated into your next summer cookout, bridal/baby shower, picnic, day at the beach, etc. We all know strawberry lemonade is a divine thing but adding mint gives it just a hint of herbal freshness — definitely not over the top, though, so don’t worry!
My only modification from the original recipe was to add a bit more water because I found it to be a little concentrated (but I didn’t strain mine). Feel free to adjust it according to your own tastes and depending on how sweet your berries are. Enjoy!
Strawberry Mint Lemonade Two Ways
Yield: About 4 cups
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
Variation: citrus vodka (optional)
Combine sugar and water in a microwave safe measuring cup and microwave on high at 1 minute intervals until sugar is completely dissolved. Or be fancy and heat it in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Regardless of your method, cool the simple syrup in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
Put the strawberries and mint in a blender and puree until liquified. Add in the lemon juice and simple syrup and puree until combined. At this point you can choose to keep the mixture thick with the fruit puree, strain half of it to lighten it a bit or strain all of it to remove the strawberry pulp. It’s up to you! Pour the mixture into a pitcher and refrigerate for 20 minutes until cold. Serve over ice.
For variation, add 1-2 shots of citrus vodka to each serving (depending on size of glass and stress level of consumer). Enjoy!
Adapted from How Sweet It Is
Susie Homemaker, MD 