Garden Fresh Summertime Strawberry-Mint Lemonade
With summer just around the corner, and the weather reflecting that seasonal change, I have been craving lemonade like crazy! Though I’m not opposed to a grocery store bottle of the liquid gold, lemonade is so easy to make! I’m also someone who doesn’t love a super sweet drink, so I like that when I make it myself, I can control the level of sweetness with the simple syrup measurements.
It probably comes as no surprise if you’ve been here before that I am growing some herbs this summer, and one of them is strawberry mint! I had never heard of this before, but it’s exactly what it sounds like – mint that has a little hint of a strawberry-like flavour & scent. Strawberries are easily one of my favourite fruits, so I figured why not try making a strawberry-mint lemonade, and I am thrilled to report that it is incredible.
Fresh from the Garden
Since I love gardening so much, I like to try my hand at growing various things every year, including herbs and almost always, strawberries. Though I will admit, I haven’t quite cracked the method of being successful with strawberries, I still try every year! One of the best parts about this recipe is that you can easily grow strawberry mint and strawberries in your backyard, or if you’re limited to a balcony with access to some sun, you can grow them there too! In fact, if you’ve never grown mint before, you should absolutely have it in its own pot because it will overtake whatever you plant it in. Both plants are great options to have in your garden this summer, and lemons are a very affordable produce item, so this just means you can have an endless supply of strawberry-mint lemonade! (Yum).
Strawberry Mint Lemonade
Yields Approx. 4 16oz Servings
Ingredients: Simple Syrup
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Directions
- Combine sugar and water in a pot, whisking together over a low heat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes on the stove but do not let it come to a boil.
- Remove from heat, and let cool. Once cooled entirely, store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Ingredients: Lemonade
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 5 large lemons)
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups simple syrup
- lemon slices (optional)
- 3-4 strawberries, reserving one for garnish
- 2 sprigs of strawberry mint, reserving a small sprig for garnish
Directions
- Combine lemon juice, water and simple syrup in a pitcher, stirring gently to combine. Top with lemon slices, if desired. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to get the lemonade nice and cold.
- When ready to serve, roughly cut up 3 strawberries, and remove strawberry mint from stem. Place in a bowl, and muddle until they're well combined.
- Scoop a few teaspoons of the muddled strawberries and mint into a glass, and top with lemonade and a couple of ice cubes. Place a sliced strawberry on the rim of the glass, and top with a small sprig of strawberry mint. Enjoy!
After enjoying one of these drinks, I think it’s quite safe to say that this will be my drink of the summer, and I will undeniably be making this consistently throughout the season. You could also easily spruce this up into an adult beverage with a shot of gin, but I love it exactly the way it is!
