This refreshing Strawberry Lemonade recipe is made with fresh strawberry sauce that is lightly sweetened with honey. The bright strawberry sauce is combined with tart lemonade, then garnished with a strawberry sugar glass rim and a fresh strawberry slice for a stunning summer beverage!
1 to 2tablespoonsgranulated sugarfor rim of glass - more or less to taste
Instructions
You can make your own lemonade (see Notes), or use store-bought lemonade.
Hull and rough chop the strawberries.
In a medium saucepan, add the prepared strawberries, honey, water, and lemon juice. Heat over medium-low heat until the strawberries reach the consistency of a jam. While heating, use a wooden spoon to help break down the strawberries and release their juices.
Optional - At this point you can strain the strawberries to get a smooth sauce, or not.
Transfer the strawberry sauce to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate to cool down and until ready to serve.
When Ready To Serve - In a small shallow dish, mix together the strawberry powder and sugar. Use a lemon wedge or fresh strawberry slice to moisten the rim of the glass, so the strawberry sugar sticks. Swirl the rim of the glasses in the strawberry sugar.
Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of strawberry sauce into each glass, then pour over your lemonade. Note - see Notes for making strawberry sauce ice cubes! Add ice cubes and a fresh strawberry for garnish (optional), and Enjoy!
Notes
Serving Size - The strawberry sauce yields enough for approximately 4, 8 ounce servings, where you can actually taste the strawberry. You can easily double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch.
Sweeten to Taste - If you use store-bought lemonade, you may not want to over-sweeten the strawberry sauce.
Homemade Lemonade - Feel free to use store-bought lemonade (I did!), or make your own. Start with about 3 to 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of honey. Add more lemon and honey to taste. You can also swap in any sweetener of choice.
Strawberry Sugar Rim - This is completely optional, but makes for a nice presentation!
Strawberry Sauce (and slices) Ice Cubes - You may have a little extra strawberry sauce depending on how many servings you plan. For example, I made 4, 8 ounce glasses of Strawberry Lemonade to take pictures, and I still had strawberry sauce leftover. You can pour the sauce into small ice cube trays for a pretty presentation. Or, slice strawberries and put in your ice cube tray (cover with water!) These small round ice cube molds are great for this!