Lately, I’ve been stopping by The Smile for their ‘Basil Infused Lemonade’. I like that it’s not as heavy on the basil as others I’ve tried. Here’s my own homegrown version.

Ingredients:
Serves 6

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water (for the basil syrup)
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice, strained (about 6 lemons)
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)
• Fresh basil
• 1 lemon for garnish

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar, 1 cup water, and a handful of basil leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir mixture until the sugar is dissolved completely. Remove from heat and set aside until cool.
2. Once the syrup has cooled, remove the basil leaves squeezing any extra juice into the syrup.
3. Extract and strain the juice from the lemons.
4. Add the juice and syrup to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to taste. If it’s too sweet, add a little more lemon juice. Too sour, add a bit more syrup.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Serve over ice and garnish with a wedge of lemon and a touch of roughly chopped basil.

(photo courtesy of Amy UnlikelyinVegas)

2 years ago