Strawberry Basil Lemonade Drink

# What You'll Need:

01 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

02 - 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, approximately 4 to 5 lemons

03 - 1/3 cup honey or agave syrup, adjusted to taste

04 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish

05 - 4 cups cold water

06 - 1 cup club soda or sparkling water, optional for carbonation

07 - Ice cubes, as needed

01 - Combine strawberries, basil leaves, lemon juice, and honey or agave in blender. Blend until smooth consistency is achieved.

02 - Pour blended mixture through fine-mesh sieve into large pitcher, pressing gently to remove pulp and seeds while preserving liquid.

03 - Add cold water to pitcher and stir thoroughly to combine all components.

04 - Taste mixture and adjust sweetness or acidity by adding additional honey, agave, or lemon juice as desired.

05 - Add ice cubes and club soda or sparkling water immediately before serving to achieve desired carbonation level.

06 - Pour into serving glasses and garnish each with fresh basil leaves and sliced strawberries.

01 -

It tastes like you spent hours preparing something fancy, but you didn't actually spend any time at all.
The basil keeps people guessing what they're tasting, which always makes gatherings more fun.
You can make the whole thing while someone else is still deciding what movie to watch.

02 -

If you skip straining, you'll spend the next hour picking seeds out of your teeth while your friends silently judge you.
Never blend the basil alone first and then add other ingredients—the basil gets oxidized and turns brownish and bitter; blend everything together in one go.

03 -

Freeze some of the strawberry-basil mixture in ice cube trays the night before; these cubes keep the drink cold without watering it down as they melt.
If you're out of fresh basil, mint works beautifully and gives an entirely different but equally lovely personality to the drink.