They say when life hand you lemons make lemonade. Why make regular lemonade though when you make this delicious honey-sweetened strawberry version. Its especially refreshing on a warm summer day, and it will leave your thirst very much quenched.
The idea for this lemonade came about because well I wanted something other than plain old water. I happened to have lemons so I thought why not lemonade. However, I didn’t want a drink full of sugar but lets face it sugar-free lemonade just isn’t a thing. So I looked at different sweeteners and trying to figure out what would be a good alternative to regular sugar. What I came up with was honey. More specifically raw honey. The brand I use is called really raw honey this is honey is different from what you can buy at your local supermarket in that its unprocessed. This means that this retained all its nutrients and goodness that the bees put into it.
To make this lemonade you begin by juicing the lemons. Once their juiced simmer the honey and strawberries on medium-high heat stirring the mixture periodically, and mashing the strawberries once they’re soft enough. Let the strawberry mixture simmer until it’s reduced by half. After I pureed the mixture, and then strained it through a fine-mesh sieve. Finally, add the strawberry mixture to the lemon juice stirring until it was combined and then add the water. To finish it off i poured it over some ice garnished my glass with a slice of lemon and added a cute straw. Now if that isn’t summer in a glass I don’t know what is.
A fun take on a classic summer beverage that’s both delicious and refreshing.
Ingredients
Scale
2 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cups halved strawberries
1 1/2 Cup Honey
6 Cups Water
Instructions
Zest and juice your lemons (See notes for lemon zest)
Combine strawberry halves and honey in a pot on medium high heat and stirring periodically
Once the honey is completely melted keep stirring periodically until strawberries are soft enough to crush
Crush the berries and let mixture simmer until its reduced by half about 20 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir periodically
If your ok with strawberry chunks and seeds skip straight to step 7 if not then complete step six before moving on
Once its reduce remove from and using a stick blender carefully blend until fairly smooth then strain through a fine mesh sieve forcing through and be sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve. (See Note)
Combine strawberry mixture with lemon juice whisking to combine and then add the water.
Give it a good stir then serve over ice and enjoy
Notes
Zesting the lemons is optional but if you choose to zest them zest can be stored in freezer to be used at later date
I like to hang on to the whats left over in the sieve after you strain the strawberry- honey mixture to use in other recipes i may want a more intense strawberry flavor.
