Sparkling strawberry lemonade is a refreshing summer drink made with fresh strawberries. This easy drink recipe is a little sweet and a little tart, with a lot of delicious fruit flavor!
I don't know what it has been like where you live but, man, it's been warm here in the good ol' PNW. And I know, I know, it gets like REALLY hot in other places. Like triple digits hot. But I grew up here and when it gets above 85 degrees, I'm uncomfortable.
It's not a popular opinion, I mean we do get so much rain throughout the rest of the year that it is nice when the sun comes out. It's just not nice when our house is 83 degrees at night. I mean, SERIOUSLY.
But one thing I like to do to cool down is drink a cool drink. And what says summer time more than lemonade? How about sparkling strawberry lemonade? It's pretty. It is sparkly. It's perfect for hot summer days. Bridal and baby showers. And with a splash of vodka, it makes a great afternoon cocktail too.
Growing up, I was always a fan of the powdered lemonade stuff. Blasphemy, I know. I have since found it way too sweet for me. Making it at home allows you to adjust it to your tastes. For this recipe, I used fresh strawberries, lemons, a quick simple syrup and some sparkling water. A little sweet, a little tart and very refreshing.
How do you make simple syrup?
Simple syrup is, dare I say, simple to make. All that is needed is one part sugar and one part water. Then it is cooked over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and allowed to cool before using. I like to make a batch with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar and keep it in the refrigerator for use in cocktails and drinks like this Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade.
How do you make sparkling strawberry lemonade?
For this recipe, you will need a cup of lemonade. To do that you will need to juice about 6 lemons. Although it may seem easier to use a jar of lemon juice, it is really better to make it with fresh lemons.
For the strawberry part of this lemonade, you will need to puree the strawberries and simple syrup together. You may notice seeds in my picture, and that is because I chose not to strain the strawberries after I pureed them. I like the little pieces of fresh fruit. If it's not for you feel free to strain yours.
The sparkling part of this lemonade is from unflavored sparkling water. Add it to the lemonade mixture slowly so that it doesn't foam up too much on you. If you're not a fan of the fizz, you can skip the sparkling part and use cool water.
This recipe was originally published 2009 and photos were updated in 2018.
To make simple syrup combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
Roll the lemons back and forth a couple of times on the counter to release the juices. Cut the lemons in half juice into a bowl. Remove any seeds that may have fallen into the juice. You should get about 1 cup of lemon juice.
Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the strawberries with the 1/2 cup of the simple syrup, until smooth.
Pour lemon juice, strawberry puree, 1/2 cup simple syrup and sparkling water into a pitcher. Add more simple syrup if you want a little more sweetness. Add ice cubes. Chill until ready to drink.
Place more ice cubes in a glass, pour in chilled lemonade, garnish with mint sprig. Enjoy!
This lemonade looks sooo refreshing!!!
Absolutely love this! SO refreshing!!
This lemonade sounds so refreshing! I wish I was sipping on it right now!
My kids will love this idea! Yummy!
This looks delicious! I'll definitely be making this the next time it reaches over 100 degrees!
This looks so amazingly refreshing !!!
It's super hot here, too. Maybe this will help cool us down a bit! thank you for sharing!
Hi Lori- I would multiply the recipe by 10 or 12. You could get about 4 glasses out of each batch. hope this helps!
If I am making this for a shower for about 50 people do you know how many times I would need to multiply this recipe? Looks great!
I am curious to find out what blog platform you are using? I'm having some small security issues with my latest site and I'd like to find something more secure. Do you have any solutions?
Hey Des, thanks for the amazing recipe!
Just a little curious, for the syrup it only says "Part water" and "Part sugar" no actual measurements. What amounts of each do you normally use?
datx quite refreshing, n tasteful too. am gona try this.
Can you make this drink with regular water instead sparkling water?
Hi Candace, sure you can. I only picked sparkling water because I wanted something a little bubbly. Regular water would work just fine.
Do you think I could make this with frozen strawberries.
Hi Jackie, I've never made this with frozen strawberries so I can't recommend it. I think that fresh would be the best option.
This is one of my daughter's favorite drinks to order out. I made her a homemade version once, but it was not as polished as your recipe!
Oh my gosh. This recipe is wonderful!!!! I made it yesterday and we're ready for another pitcher today. Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
I shared the recipe on my blog too, with a link back to you.
Thanks again – it's awesome. I especially love the fizz. Great touch!
You rock! I just purchased a flat of strawberries, and I look forward to trying this drink. My family will love it.
Yum, my daughter would love this pink drink.
There are so many strawberries for sale at the farmers market, I keep thinking I need to buy a bunch and do something with them. This sounds like a great way to use some up.
How refreshing!! I can't wait to try it this weekend!!!
What a great summery drink!
Wow, beautiful! Looks so refreshing!
This looks very refreshing.Perfect for summer!
Yum! This looks awesome. I am not one to make drinks, but I really like fresh, pure lemonade so I am sure I will like this. I will have to try it!
What a perfect summer recipe! I love the pink color!