Strawberry Lemonade

The day I was testing recipes for my son’s stand for Alaska Lemonade Day, a reporter from a local newspaper came out to the house to interview me. We sat at the table and visited for a while, about life and food blogging and how we ended up in Alaska, then I made this recipe for her, and we each enjoyed an icy Mason jar full of Strawberry Lemonade together.

Five gallons of homemade lemonade later, my son’s stand ended up being a big hit. He sold two different fresh-squeezed flavors and also some Amy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, too. He completely sold out in a few hours. But much more than that, the kids learned some important lessons about responsibility, making money, hard work, and doing good business. And we got to make some wonderful memories together as a family, too.

The Strawberry Lemonade was a great money-maker. We sold cups of it for $1 more than the classic lemonade and we had folks come back and comment that it was so good we could have charged more. The boys were grinning from ear to ear at the compliments they received.

For more Alaska from Scratch fresh-squeezed lemonade recipes, try:

Blueberry Lemonade – striking in color and flavor, beautiful for events

Basil Lemonade – herbaceous and bright, a personal favorite of mine

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade – tart and summery, great use for extra rhubarb

Strawberry Lemonade

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Freshly-squeezed lemonade made with strawberry puree.

Yields: About 8 cups (1 half gallon)

• For the Simple Syrup:
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• For the Strawberry Puree:
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled (or 2 cups frozen, thawed)
• 1 cup cold water
• For the Lemonade:
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup cold water
• ice
• lemon slices and sliced strawberries, optional

In a saucepan over high heat, mix together the water and the sugar. Cook until the sugar dissolves and it becomes a clear syrup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool while you do the next steps.

Add the strawberries and the 1 cup cold water to a blender. Pulse until the mixture is pureed.

To a half-gallon pitcher, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 cup cold water, ice, and lemon and strawberry slices, if using. Stir in the strawberry puree and the simple syrup until well combined. Taste for sweetness and add more cold water if needed. Refrigerate to chill through or serve over ice.