Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium saucepan (2-quart)
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Citrus juicer or reamer
• •Large glass pitcher (2-quart)
• •Wooden spoon or muddler

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the strawberry syrup

   Combine the quartered strawberries, sugar, and one cup of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves completely. The strawberries will begin to break down and release their juices, turning the liquid a deep rose color. Let it simmer for eight to ten minutes. Your kitchen will smell like summer itself.

   Don't let the syrup boil vigorously. A gentle simmer preserves the bright, fresh strawberry flavor. High heat cooks out the aromatics and leaves you with something that tastes like jam.
2. 2

   Strain and cool the syrup

   Remove the saucepan from heat and let it steep for fifteen minutes. The berries continue giving up their essence as the mixture cools. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl, pressing gently on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract every drop of ruby liquid. Discard the spent berries. You should have about one and a half cups of syrup. Refrigerate until completely cold, at least one hour.

   The spent strawberry pulp makes an honest topping for yogurt or oatmeal. Nothing goes to waste in a proper kitchen.
3. 3

   Juice the lemons

   Roll each lemon firmly against your countertop, pressing down with the heel of your hand. This breaks the internal membranes and releases more juice. Cut them in half across the equator, not pole to pole, and juice them over a strainer to catch the seeds. Fresh juice should be slightly warm from the friction. Taste it. Good lemons taste bright and assertive, not just sour. If yours taste flat, add one more lemon to the mix.

   Room temperature lemons yield nearly twice as much juice as cold ones. Pull them from the refrigerator an hour before you begin, or microwave them for fifteen seconds each.
4. 4

   Muddle the basil

   Place the basil leaves in the bottom of your serving pitcher. Using a wooden spoon or muddler, press down gently three or four times. You want to bruise the leaves, releasing their aromatic oils without pulverizing them. The scent should rise immediately: peppery, slightly sweet, unmistakably fresh. Stop when you smell it. More pressure than that extracts bitterness from the stems and veins.

5. 5

   Combine the lemonade

   Pour the chilled strawberry syrup over the muddled basil. Add the fresh lemon juice and five cups of cold water. Stir gently but thoroughly with a long wooden spoon, reaching all the way to the bottom to distribute the syrup evenly. Taste it. The balance should lean slightly sweet, as the ice will dilute it. Adjust with more lemon juice if it tastes cloying, more syrup if it puckers your cheeks.

6. 6

   Serve over ice

   Fill tall glasses with ice cubes, packing them generously. Ladle the lemonade over the ice, letting some of the basil leaves fall into each glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry sliced to the stem and perched on the rim, plus a small sprig of basil. Serve immediately. The ice will melt slowly, keeping each sip cold without drowning the flavor, if you've made your syrup properly sweet.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out local strawberries in season over those shipped from distant farms. The difference between a berry picked ripe yesterday and one picked green last week is the difference between honest flavor and pale imitation. Farmers' markets in June and July are your best source.
• •The syrup keeps refrigerated for two weeks in a sealed jar. Double the batch and you'll have strawberry sweetness ready for cocktails, iced tea, or drizzled over pound cake. It also freezes beautifully for up to three months.
• •For a grown-up version, add two ounces of vodka or gin to each glass. The basil particularly loves gin's botanical notes. A splash of sparkling water transforms this into a spritzer worthy of any afternoon gathering.
• •Make this a day ahead for the cleanest flavor. The basil steeps gently overnight, and the components marry into something more unified than freshly mixed. Just add the ice at serving time.

Advance Preparation

• •Strawberry syrup can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
• •Lemons can be juiced up to 3 days ahead; store juice refrigerated in a sealed jar.
• •Complete lemonade (without ice) can be assembled 24 hours ahead. The flavor improves as the basil gently infuses.
• •Add ice only at serving time to prevent dilution during storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)