Strawberry Lemonade Sans Recipe

Make Simple Lemon Syrup

Combine 0.75 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar fully dissolves (about 3–4 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Juice fresh lemons until you have 1.25 cups of lemon juice (about 6–8 medium lemons). Strain seeds and pulp if you prefer a clear lemonade.

In a pitcher, combine the warm simple syrup with the strained lemon juice. Add the remaining 3 cups cold water, stir well, and chill while preparing the strawberry purée.

Place 2 cups hulled fresh strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice into a blender or food processor.

Blend until smooth (10–20 seconds). Taste and adjust sweetness with up to 1 additional tablespoon sugar if needed.

For a silky texture, pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract liquid and leave seeds behind. You should yield roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups purée.

Add 3 cups ice to the chilled pitcher of lemonade or distribute ice into individual glasses (about 8–10 oz glasses).

Pour in the strawberry purée: use 1/2 cup purée per 8 oz serving (adjust to taste). For the full pitcher (about 6–8 servings), fold in all purée and stir gently to create a swirled or fully combined pink lemonade.

Top each glass with about 2 tablespoons cold sparkling water to add brightness and effervescence (use more or less as preferred).

Garnish with strawberry slices, a lemon wheel on the rim, and a sprig of fresh mint. Serve immediately with a straw.