From Recipe Contributor :: Susanna | {Re}visionary Life
No July 4th picnic is complete without a refreshing glass of lemonade. This easy recipe for a versatile lemonade syrup has so many possibilities, but adding in pureed strawberries is just the kind of festive flavor 4th of July celebrations need.
[ingredients]
__________________________
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Zest from one lemon
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice, about 4 large lemons
3 cups pureed strawberries
10 1/2 cups cold water or sparkling water
Lemons slices, for garnish
[directions]
_________________________
Heat. Measure the sugar and 1.5 cups water into a sauce pan. While stirring with a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool slightly.
Mix. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to the sugar syrup. Cool completely. Pour the lemonade syrup into a quart jar. Cover tightly with the lid. The syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks.
Flavor. If serving the entire batch of lemonade at once, add in 10.5 cups of cold or sparkling water and the pureed strawberries to the prepared syrup, and allow to sit for a few hours to overnight if you intend to strain out the strawberry pulp. Otherwise you can serve the chilled lemonade immediately. If you prefer a pulp-free drink {like me}, strain the lemonade through a fine mesh sieve just before serving. If you plan on serving individual glasses of lemonade, put some ice cubes in the bottom of a glass. Pour ¼ cup of the lemon syrup over the ice cubes. Add ¾ cup cold or sparkling water and stir. Add in 2 tablespoons of pureed strawberries per glass of lemonade.
//all photography is my own. please do not use without permission.\\
Find these environment and picnic friendly mason jar drink lids HERE.
