Happy Friday beautiful friends!! Are you guys staying cool during this hot Summer?

One of my most favorite summer drinks is LEMONADE! Yes I once was one of the cute little kids selling lemonade at my house just to make a few extra dollars lol.

A few years ago I was experimenting with our lavender flowers and I created a really tasty lavender lemonade recipe. I need to upload that recipe soon, but those who are in need of fresh dried lavender flowers please check out our own family business Friends of the Earth Lavender.  We make each of our products by hand using our own lavender plants that we have been growing for years and years in Northern California.

The infused lavender lemonade was so good, and ever since then I wanted to keep experimenting with a variety of unique lemonade recipes. Well we have an abundance of basil in our garden and the snow really kicked our basil’s butt this year. We had to replant over 25 basil plants since they weren’t looking so good.

Luckily the basil is doing much better! You can see below from the photos the damage the snow did, but they are slowly coming back. We have many different varieties but I used “sweet basil” for this recipe.

Today we are talking strawberry basil infused lemonade which is in fact MY NEW favorite drink. Have you tried combining strawberries and basil together? It is the perfect match in my opinion. You can make this drink frozen or over ice. Either way enjoy this on a hot summer’s day!

Strawberry Basil Infused Lemonade Recipe

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of cold water

Strawberry Puree:

• 3/4 cup of fresh strawberries
• 1 cup of water divided (reserve 1/2 cup)

Lemon Water Mixture:

• 5 lemons juiced
• Reserved 1/2 cup of water

Basil Sugar Mixture:

• 1 bunch of fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons of cold water
• 2 tablespoons of organic sugar

Method:

1. Prepare the honey simple syrup. In a medium pot add the honey and water over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and let cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Slice the strawberries in half and add the berries and 1/2 cup of water to a blender. Blend until smooth. Place mixture through a fine mesh strainer and strain out the seeds. Set the mixture aside.
3. Mix together the lemon juice and other half cup of water and set aside.
4. Prepare to muddle the basil, sugar, and water.
5. Add all three ingredients to a metal martini shaker and muddle the mixture by using the end of a wooden spoon or any mortar and pestle works too. Muddle until the basil leaves are minced.
6. In a large pitcher add the strawberry puree, basil sugar mixture, and lemon water. Cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap and chill overnight to let the flavors combine. Serve with ice and sweeten with honey simple syrup.

Notes:

• If the mixture is too strong of strawberry or lemon you can definitely water it down by adding iced cold water.
• To make it adult friendly add a few tablespoons of vodka to the mix and enjoy!
• This is really good frozen or served over ice!
• You can make this like a Arnold Palmer by adding black tea to the mixture.

**For those who enjoy infused simple syrups here is a lavender simple syrup recipe that is really good!

Happy weekend friends! Have a beautiful one. 🙂