Basil Lemonade

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This basil lemonade is made with fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, homemade basil simple syrup, and water. Only 4 ingredients and ready in less than 2 hours (most of that is chilling time). Perfect for summer gatherings.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Chilling Time 1 30

Total Time 1 50

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Basil Simple Syrup:

▢ 1 cup water
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 1 cup basil leaves - about 20-25 basil leaves

Basil lemonade:

▢ 1 cup lemon juice - from 5-6 large lemons
▢ 3-4 cups water

For serving:

▢ lemon slices
▢ fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

Basil Simple Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup basil leaves. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar completely dissolves.
Remove from heat and let cool completely, at least 30 minutes. Strain out and discard the basil leaves.

Basil Lemonade:

Add the cooled basil simple syrup and 1 cup lemon juice to a large pitcher. Stir to combine.
Add 3-4 cups water to the pitcher. Start with 3 cups, taste the lemonade, and then add up to an additional 1 cup of water if the concentrate still needs to be diluted. If the lemonade is too watered down, add another 2-4 tablespoons of lemon juice from 1 lemon. Stir well to combine.
Chill the basil lemonade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to let the flavors meld.
Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices and fresh basil leaves.

Notes

Save your lemon zest: Before juicing your lemons, zest them and store the zest in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Use it for baking recipes that call for lemon zest.
Scale it up: This recipe serves 4 but can easily be doubled or tripled for parties and gatherings.
Storage: Keep refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Add ice just before serving. You can freeze the concentrate (before adding the final water) for up to 6 months.

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