DELICIOUS FIZZY STRAWBERRY BASIL LEMONADE

A year ago, I advised you to “recycle” the strawberry sauce from this dessert. This year, I followed my own advice and transformed that sauce into a refreshing fizzy lemonade.

🕒 Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

🍽️ Yield: approx. 1.5 liters (4 servings)

Ingredients

For the lemonade:

300 g strawberries (hulled)
12 large fresh basil leaves
Zest of 1 lemon
150 ml fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
650 ml chilled sparkling mineral water

Simple syrup:

150 g sugar
150 ml still water

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and still water. Heat over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat slightly and boil for 5 minutes. Let syrup cool; you’ll get about 200 ml syrup.
Place hulled strawberries, basil leaves, and lemon zest in a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds.
Pour the strawberry sauce into a 1.5-liter pitcher. Add lemon juice.
Slowly add sparkling mineral water, being careful as it will foam a lot.
Gradually stir in the simple syrup, tasting as you go. Stop adding syrup when you reach your preferred sweetness (I used about 120 ml). No need to use all the syrup.
Optional: garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Serve immediately over chilled glasses or ice cubes.

Serving Suggestions

Perfect as a refreshing summer drink with a lovely balance of sweet strawberry, zesty lemon, and fragrant basil.

💡 Tips

Straining the strawberry sauce removes seeds for a smooth drink.
Add sparkling water slowly to control foaming.
Adjust syrup sweetness to suit your taste.

📝 Final Thoughts

This fizzy strawberry basil lemonade is a creative, delicious way to reuse dessert sauce and stay refreshed. It’s a vibrant, aromatic beverage ideal for warm days and gatherings.