It is Strawberry Lemonade Day ♥♥

With the weather getting warmer and warmer everyday, I think we could all agree that we need something that will cool us off and keep us feeling refresh. Since it is Summer, I am making a seasonal post just for the Summer season. The post will mostly be about Summer drinks and frozen treats to keep us cool and comfy during the Summer season. If it is not Summer where you are right now, do not worry because you can always go back and search for these recipes whenever Summer arrives in your area or if you just want to get chilled. Some of the drinks that I am sharing here can be made any day of the year, I say bring the ice cream out on Winter 🙂

Last week, I shared with you a basic Honey Lemonade recipe with few suggested variations. This week, I am sharing with you one of my favorite variation, Honey Strawberry Lemonade. This variation uses the base Honey Lemonade that I shared last week. If I do not get overload with so much Lemonade, my plan is to make few more variations that I can share with you. I love the idea that I can make different variations using a simple base Lemonade recipe. This way, I get to enjoy it different ways.

Refreshing ♥♥♥

This Honey Strawberry Lemonade is a really nice lemonade variation that is perfect to make during Summer. It is a great way to use fresh sweet Strawberry. I like the the trio combination of flavors from Strawberry, Lemon and Honey, literally screaming Summer. It is as refreshing as the plain Honey Lemonade but a bit more enjoyable to drink. I like that I have fresh bits of Strawberry to eat as I finish the drink. A refreshing drink and fresh fruits in one glass. Bring it on!

What sweetener to use when making homemade lemonade?

This Lemonade is sweeten using raw Honey, you can also use granulated with sugar, or sugar syrup which is just a mix of water and dissolved sugar. Honey adds a nice taste to the Lemonade which is why this is my personal favorite, plus it reduces the use of processed sugar in my drinks. Please note that the amount of sweetener depends on the sweetener you are using. If using other sweetener than honey, add the sweetener gradually so you can adjust it as needed.

I used honey to sweeten the drink, you can use other sweeter but you may have to adjust the measurement. 1/3 cup of honey is not the same as 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in terms of sweetness, as honey is sweeter than sugar. Add gradually and play around with it.

Tip in Getting More Juice Out of the Lemon

To get more juice out of the Lemon, use your hand and roll the Lemon back and fort on a flat surface. This will squeeze in the Lemon and will make it easier to release juice. This is even more helpful when you have a quite firm Lemon. A ripe Lemon is slightly soft and will release juice easily even without doing this extra step. I always do this extra step regardless if I have a firm or slightly soft Lemon. You can tell the difference on how much juice comes out from the lemon, a LOT more that’s for sure.

Ingredients for Strawberry Honey Lemonade

You only need 4 key ingredients to make this Honey Lemonade and from this you can make different variations.

• Lemon 🍋 – Use freshly squeeze lemon juice, not only that it taste fresh but it also have a lot more tea lemon flavor than the one you cannot buy as already squeezed. Choose Lemons that are ripe, slightly soft to the touch so that there’s more juice that you can squeeze out.
• Honey 🍯 – For a less processed sugar overload, used raw honey instead of granulated sugar to sweeten the lemonade. You can add as much or less depending on your sweetness preference. My personal presence is 2-3 teaspoon of honey for every cup of lemonade. I like to still taste the tart sour taste of the lemon and the subtle sweetness from honey.
• Water 💧 – I use plain water to make the Lemonade. You can also use carbonated water or even cold brew tea, the likes of green tea, camomile or early grey tea. But since this is a basic lemonade, I used water. This way, I can use this as base to make other Lemonade variations.
• Strawberry Syrup – You can use fresh or frozen to make the Strawberry sauce/syrup. I left the instructions below. You can blend the mixture to puree it or simply pass it in a sieve to extract the juice. The difference, mixture pass in a sieve will give a clearer lemonade and tend to be sweeter like a syrup. The one blended into a puree will give a more chunky cloudy lemonade.
  • TIP: Make a large batch of Strawberry Syrup and keep refrigerated. Warm in the microwave about 30 seconds to loosen.

How to Make Strawberry Honey Lemonade

Start by making basic Honey Lemonade that you can use to make different variations. For that reason, we are sticking to the basic 4 ingredients. Start by mixing honey and water. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved. I use warm water for this so that the honey dissolves easily. Set it aside or refrigerate while you squeeze the lemons.

Next, squeeze the lemons and zest the lemons. Using the lemon zest is optional but I will explain to you why I recommend doing it.

Zest the Lemons – The Lemon zest is full of flavor which can add a lot of tart taste to lemonade. I feel that it will be such a waste to not use them. Zest of the lemon is basically just the yellow skin of the Lemon. I used a fine grater sometimes a lemon zester to do this. Set aside all the lemon zest. You have several options on how to use this.

• Make a Lemon Ice Cube – mix the lemon zest in the water and transfer in a ice cube mood. Freeze until solid. You can use this when you serve the lemonade instead of using plain ice.
• Make Lemonade Ice Cube – Mix the lemon zest with the Lemonade. Pour the Lemonade in the ice cube tray. Freeze until solid. Use in making iced cold tea or add in the Lemonade when serving
• Use for Baking – Use the Lemon zest to flavor bake goods
• Use for Salad Dressing – Add in Homemade salad dressing

Now, go on and start squeezing the Lemon. I used my Lemon squeezer which makes the process easier and it also squeeze a lot more juice than me doing this by hands. I like to use my hands to roll the Lemon on the counter so soften and loosen the Lemon. This helps the juice to release once squeezed. You can use as much or less Lemon as you like depending on how tart you like the Lemonade to be. I used about 2 – 3 Lemon for 4 cups of water, depending on the size of the lemon. Basically, my ratio is 1/2 of Lemon for every cup of water and then about 2 – 3 teaspoon Honey for every 1 cup of water. I like my Lemon tart but still with sweetness from honey.

Now, lets go to the Strawberry and make some Strawberry Syrup that we can use to flavor this lemonade. You will only need 2 ingredients, Strawberry and sweetener. You can use granulated sugar or honey for a better option. All you need to do is to simmer the 2 in a pan until the juice release and then puree the mixture. If you want a smoother clearer syrup, you can pass it in a sieve. I have tried both, the one passed in a sieve gives a clearer lemonade which is more physically appealing and sweeter.

Once that is done, simply mix the strawberry puree, add some fresh diced/sliced Strawberry, add the Lemon Juice and the Honey water. That’s it! You have a freshly squeezed Strawberry Lemonade. Pour in a glass with plenty of ice, enjoy!

Use the Lemon Zest to Make Lemon Ice Cube or Infused Lemon Water

I am always looking for ways to reduce waste. Anything that I can use, I will use it. For this Lemonade, I used the Lemon zest to make Lemon ice cube. This is just basically ice with Lemon zest mix in it. Lemon zest have so much flavor and it will be such a waste to not use them. It is a great way to infuse the water with Lemon flavor. You can make Lemon ice cube or use the infused water for tea. I also use the squeeze Lemon to flavor my water. Simply put all the squeezed Lemon into a cold water, add some fresh mint and you have a lemon and mint infused water. Don’t forget to add plenty of ice 🙂

Strawberry Ice Cube

You can also make Strawberry ice cube. Add fresh Strawberry in each cavity of the ice cube tray and freeze until solid. You can use this for any lemonade, ice tea or just for a glass of ice cold water.

Basic Lemonade Ingredients:

• 4 – 5 cups Water
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup raw Honey (adjust to sweetness preference)
• Lemon Juice from 2 Large Lemons (More Lemon juice makes a more tart taste. Increase if you prefer a tart lemonade)
• 1 cup Strawberry Syrup

Strawberry Lemonade

• 1 lb Strawberries (to yield 1/2 cup juice)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup Honey or granulated Sugar
• 2 cups Homemade Lemonade (see Basic Lemonade ingredients above)

Note: Double the Strawberry lemonade measurements if you want to use all the base Lemonade juice.

Instructions:

1. In a pan, pour the water and the honey. Simmer just until warm enough to melt the honey. Set aside and cool completely.
2. Zest the Lemons: This step is totally optional but if you are making a lot of Lemonade, it will be a great opportunity to get the zest and use it for other purposes. For this recipe, I used it to make Lemon ice cube. Simply zest the Lemons, mix with water and pour in ice cube tray. Freeze until solid. You can use this Lemon ice cube for any cold ice tea drink or for any flavored Lemonade.
3. Squeeze the Lemons: You can do it manually or you can use a Lemon squeezer to get more out of the juice.
   • Tip: Using your hand, roll the Lemon on the counter to soften it and loosen the inside. This will make the extraction of the juice easier and you will get more.
4. Make the Strawberry Sauce/Syrup: In a pan, transfer the chopped sliced Strawberry and sugar or honey. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes in low medium heat until the Strawberry juice comes out. Use a fork to mash the Strawberry. You can use this as is or pass it in a sieve for a clearer lemonade or blend it to make it into a puree. Either way works, straining gives a clearer lemonade.
   • TIP: You can make the Strawberry syrup/puree ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, just be aware that the consistency will be thick and gel like. If you are making this ahead, I suggest just pass the mixture in a strainer to extract the syrup, do not blend as this will make a gel like consistency.
5. Make the Lemonade: Now that you have all the components needed, pour the Strawberry syrup/puree in a glass, add some fresh sliced Strawberry and pour the honey water and the lemon juice. Add as much or less syrup depending on the level of sweetness that you like. Transfer in a jar or glass with ice cubes. Use the lemon ice cubes if you made it.
   • Alternatively, you can also prepare this is separate drinking glass instead of a pitcher.

Makes 5 cups

Enjoy! If you make this, share and tag me in Instagram #SweetNSpicyLiving. I would like to see your creations too.

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