Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Make strawberry syrup

Hull and quarter the strawberries. In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add the quartered strawberries and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries soften and sugar dissolves (about 5–7 minutes). Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes to extract color and flavor.

Purée and strain

Using an immersion blender or countertop blender, purée the warm strawberry mixture until smooth. Press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or pitcher, using the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids (or reserve for another use). This yields a bright strawberry syrup.

Combine with lemon

To the pitcher with about 1 cup of strawberry syrup (adjust to taste), add 1 cup fresh lemon juice. Stir to combine. Taste for sweetness and balance; if too tart, add up to 1–2 additional tablespoons sugar dissolved in a little water, or more strawberry syrup.

Dilute and chill

Add 3 cups cold water to the pitcher and stir. Add ice cubes to chill quickly (or serve over individual glasses with ice). Taste again and adjust: add more water if too strong, more lemon if too weak, or more strawberry syrup for fruitiness.

Serve

Pour lemonade into glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice, a strawberry half on the rim, and a sprig of mint if using. Serve immediately.

Make ahead & storage

Store any leftover strawberry syrup (strained) in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Store assembled lemonade in the refrigerator up to 48 hours; stir before serving as separation may occur.