When I’m searching for a place to grab drinks with friends I have two requirements: a great atmosphere and a cocktail menu. The emphasis is mainly on the cocktail menu! As I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of beer so if I’m going to forgo ordering a glass of water (with a lemon wedge to spice things up!) I need a good cocktail menu.

One of my favorite cocktail discoveries was a berry lemonade. It was the perfect blend of sweet and tart, so it was a refreshing drink to cap off a warm summer day. I thought it would be the perfect cocktail to bring along to a BBQ or pool party, so I played around with flavor combinations at home until I came up with this strawberry basil lemonade recipe!

Fresh Strawberry Basil Lemonade Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 C. sugar
• 4 C. water (divided)
• 1 C. fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
• 2 C. pureed strawberries
• 1 C. vodka
• Handful of fresh basil

Recipe:

• Make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar and 1 C. water in a saucepan over medium heat
• Once the sugar had dissolved, remove from heat and let cool
• Squeeze lemons until you have 1 C. fresh juice
• In a large pitcher, add the lemon juice, simple syrup, pureed strawberries, vodka, basil, and remaining 3 C. cold water
• Stir until well combined and serve chilled

*Want a more family-friendly version? Just leave out the vodka for a delicious summer mocktail!