Strawberry Lemonade Syrup

To make the best of a rainy spell, make lemonade out of those lemons in the refrigerator! Hand Mother Nature a glass of sunshine to combat that muggy, cloudy, sultry day! But why stop there? Add some pureed strawberries to make it Strawberry Lemonade Syrup ! With that addition, you’ll need to put on your shades and sit under an umbrella with sand between your toes. Visualization often helps

Zest 2 lemons.

Juice 6 large lemons. According to an article on kitchen tips I read after I made this,  microwaving lemons for about 20 seconds before slicing releases a lot more juice. I’ll report back the next time I make this to validate this trick. I’ve always rolled them to help the process along, but this does sound like something I would like to test out.

Puree enough strawberries to equal at least one cup. If you want a finer puree, you could use a Nutri-Bullet, but I like the little chunks of strawberry.

Boil the sugar, water and lemon zest for about 5 minutes and allow it to cool.

Stir in the lemon juice and pureed strawberries into the syrup mixture.

 

Add about 1/4 cup of the Strawberry Lemonade Syrup  to a glass of ice. Use less if the glass is smaller.  Pour chilled water into glass and stir. I always seem to add a little more syrup. The size of the glass used will also alter the taste, so adjust flavor as you desire.

For a sparkling version, add chilled sparkling water. or a carbonated lemon-lime soda.

Store this fabulous  Strawberry Lemonade Syrup  in the refrigerator. Have it ready to impress a friend who drops by on a sultry day or serve it as you reflect upon your peaceful day at the beach while sitting on your porch.  It’s just perfect!