Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

There's something about lemonade in the summertime that just quenches your thirst instantly. And while you could always just buy a bottle of the stuff at the store, lemonade is even better when you make it from scratch yourself, especially when you add strawberries to the mix.

And indeed, "the mix" is just the right term here, as this recipe from chef and recipe developer Melissa Olivieri of The Olive Blogger is for a homemade strawberry lemonade concentrate. Once it's completed, you'll have enough concentrate to make multiple servings of lemonade, and you'll be able to adjust the potency of each and every serving you make to the enjoyment of the person who'll be sipping it.

And speaking of potency, if you're wondering if this strawberry lemonade makes a good basis for an adult cocktail, Olivieri's answer is an emphatic yes! She adds, "I like to add rum to mine (personal preference), but vodka or even gin would also be a delicious option for an adult-friendly summer drink."

With apologies to Country Time, it doesn't take much to make a great lemonade concentrate. All this recipe calls for is about three cups strawberries, chopped (which is about 20 medium strawberries), a couple of large lemons, juiced and zested (and add extra juice from a third if they aren't all that juicy), a cup and a half of granulated sugar, and three cups of water.

Wash and chop the strawberries, removing the green stems and halving or quartering the berries depending on their size. A rough chop is fine, as they will be cooked down later.

Next, wash and zest the lemons using a grater, then cut lemons in half and juice them using a juicer (handheld or electric) or just use a fork — don't worry about the seeds, as they will be strained in the final cooking step. Just make sure you get plenty of juice, and go ahead and juice another if they were at all dry.

In a large saucepan, combine the three cups of water, sugar, strawberries, lemon juice, and zest, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Now reduce to a steady simmer and allow it to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are soft. "The only real thing to watch for is that the heat isn't too high, as you don't want to burn the sugar strawberry mixture," says Olivieri.

Next, remove the cooked concentrate from the heat and gently mash the berry mixture using either a fork or potato masher, then allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Once the boiled mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, you can strain it into a large bowl. When straining the mixture, use a wooden spoon or spatula to move the strawberries around and press on them — take your time to allow the liquid to fully strain. Then collect the concentrate in a container that will close and chill or even freeze it. Now your work is done!

When you are ready to make a pitcher of lemonade, a three-to-one ratio is ideal: three cups of water to one cup of concentrate. You can also add additional strawberries and lemon slices for garnish if desired.