Strawberry Lemonade - Chef In You

Strawberry Lemonade by DK on Aug 23, 2012

Lemonade Recipes | Strawberry Recipes | Sugar Free Drink Recipes

Every summer I find myself going completely ga-ga over strawberries! This summer was no different, when I went overboard with various strawberry based delights - be it Strawberry Shortcake, Eggless Strawberry Cake, Eggless Strawberry Icecream and Strawberry Creme Frappuccino to name just a few. And yet, I find myself completely mesmerized every time I walk by these beauties at my Farmer's market. The last weekend grocery shopping was no different with me grabbing a huge box of these luscious berries.

Since it was unbearably hot the other day, I thought of making myself something chilled. With the intoxicating aroma of strawberries beckoning my name, I immediately thought Lemonade. I also recalled one of my readers asking me for my version of the recipe (err...well, this is not really much of a recipe as such!) where she wanted to know approximate proportions of strawberries versus lemons. I personally would say that keep this recipe as a base and develop your own version. Its THAT easy to customize. The only point of recommendation from me - choose in season strawberries. They are the most reddest and sweetest.

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Yields: Makes 3 quarts/ almost 2 litres

Ingredients

2 cups ( abt 1lb/460grams) Strawberries - see Tips
3 cups Lemon juice, see Tips
1 tbsp Lemon zest, optional
Agave/Coconut Sugar/Honey/Maple Syrup to taste (see Tips)
6 cups chilled water, or as needed
Ice cubes, to serve

Tips

1) Strawberries: You would need around 15-20 strawberries to make a pound. The in season strawberries taste the best in my opinion and are the sweetest. That makes all the difference to this otherwise simple lemonade.
2) Lemon: The amount of lemon will depend largely on the sweetness of the strawberries and your own taste preference. So start with 1-2 cups and then gradually add in more as needed. I have also made this using Meyer Lemons and love that version as well.
3) Sweetener: Instead of white refined sugar, you can try any other unrefined sweetener to taste. Since Agave Nectar is still undergoing massive debate on weather its refined or not, I am not entirely sure about using it on a regular basis. But since I have a bottle to finish, I have used that for this recipe. Its more concentrated form of sugar, hence a wee little bit - say 3-4 tbsp should be enough. If this is all a jargon, simple use around 1/2 to 1 cups of white sugar instead (or to taste).

Method

1. Trim and hull the strawberries. Chop them coarsely to make it easy to process.