Please do me a favor: go buy a bunch of lemons. Don't wait for life to hand you those lemons, go out there and get them yourself! And then make this lemonade. I promise that this is the best lemonade you will ever have. I made it this past weekend when we had family visiting, and Lauren and I could not stop drinking it/talking about how delicious it was! This will definitely be my go-to summer drink!
Freckled Lemonade
zest of one lemon
2 cups sugar
2 cups chopped hulled strawberries
2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 10 large lemons)
1/4 tsp salt
Make the lemon syrup: Bring the lemon zest, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the strawberry syrup: Toss the chopped strawberries and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Gently mash some of the strawberries with a potato masher to release the juices; do not pureé - you want there to still be strawberry chunks. Let the mixture sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes. Strain the strawberry mixture with a fine mesh strainer; reserve the strawberry syrup and the berries separately.
Make the lemonade: Combine the lemon juice, lemon syrup, salt, and 2 cups cold water in a pitcher.
For each drink, put 1 Tbsp of the strawberry syrup in a tall glass. Fill with ice, then top with the lemonade and some of the reserved strawberries.
source: recipe from Food Network Magazine, May 2012
