Strawberry Lemonade

For my best friend's birthday, I wanted to serve a drink that was light and refreshing, so I used one of her favorite flavors – strawberry – to jazz up regular lemonade. This drink was tangy and refreshing, and it stayed cold with frozen whole strawberries, which served a dual role of ice cube and garnish. Strawberry lemonade is perfect for get-togethers or everyday sipping, and a splash of club soda at the end gives it a special kick.

Ingredients:

8 lemons

8 cups water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

Frozen whole strawberries, lemon slices and fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Club soda

1. Juice lemons. Strain with a fine mesh strainer to remove pulp and seeds. Cover and refrigerate lemon juice. (You should have a little more than a cup of juice, depending on size and juiciness of the lemons.)

2. In a heavy saucepan, bring water, sugar, strawberries and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir often until sugar is dissolved. With the back of the spoon, crush strawberries. Continue to boil for about 2 minutes.

3. Once mixture has boiled for 2 minutes, sugar has dissolved and berries have been crushed, let strawberry syrup cool. Cover cooled syrup and refrigerate until well chilled.

4. Meanwhile, remove stems from whole strawberries. Rinse them and pat dry. Once they are dry, put strawberries in a plastic resealable bag with a paper towel and place in the freezer until frozen.

5. Once strawberry syrup is well chilled, strain through a fine mesh strainer so all that is left is a smooth syrup.

6. Pour syrup in a pitcher and add chilled lemon juice. Stir mixture and taste to adjust sweetness.

7. When ready to serve, pour into individual glasses and garnish with strawberry ice cubes, lemon slices and fresh mint. For extra fizz, top off each glass with a splash of chilled club soda. Enjoy this refreshing, summertime strawberry lemonade!