Strawberry Lemonade

The quintessential American summer drink: freshly squeezed lemon juice sweetened with a simple syrup infused with macerated strawberries, served over ice in tall glasses: pink, tart, sweet and cold

Origin: United States (California & New England, late 19th century)

From the journey of Strawberry.

Lemonade, lemon juice diluted with water and sweetened with sugar, has been a summer staple across America since the 18th century, sold from street carts in Philadelphia and New York and made at home from California's abundant lemon crops. The marriage of lemonade and strawberries emerged in the late 19th century as California's strawberry industry expanded, making fresh strawberries widely available and affordable across the country. Strawberry lemonade became a fixture at summer fairs, baseball games, roadside stands and Fourth of July celebrations: a drink inseparable from the American understanding of summer. The colour; that vivid pink; became one of the most recognisable visual signals of summer refreshment. County fairs across the Midwest and South have sold fresh-squeezed strawberry lemonade for over a century, and it remains one of the most popular drinks in American summer food culture.

Ingredients

Strawberry syrup

400 g fresh ripe strawberries, hulled
200 g caster sugar
200 ml water

Lemonade

250 ml fresh lemon juice (from about 8–10 lemons)
1 litre cold water

Serving

Ice cubes to serve

Garnish

6 slices lemon, for garnish
6 fresh strawberries, halved, for garnish
6 sprigs fresh mint (optional)

Method

Make the strawberry syrup: combine the sugar and 200ml water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely. Add the hulled strawberries, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the strawberries are soft.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to extract all the liquid. Discard the pulp.
Squeeze the lemons and strain the juice to remove pips and pulp. You need 250ml of fresh juice.
In a large jug, combine the strained strawberry syrup, lemon juice and 1 litre of cold water. Stir well. Taste and adjust; add more lemon juice for more tartness, more water to dilute, or a touch more sugar if the lemons were particularly tart.
Refrigerate until cold (at least 15 minutes), or serve immediately over plenty of ice in tall glasses.
To serve: fill glasses with ice. Pour the lemonade over the ice. Garnish with a lemon slice on the rim, a halved strawberry and a sprig of mint if using.

Notes

The strawberry syrup can be made several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The lemonade (without ice) keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though the fresh flavour is best on the day it is made. For adult variations: a splash of vodka or rum turns this into a cocktail base; a generous pour of prosecco creates a strawberry lemonade bellini. For a deeper colour and more intense strawberry flavour, increase the strawberry quantity to 600g.

The Gastrographer

Name: Strawberry Lemonade
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 400 g fresh ripe strawberries, hulled; 200 g caster sugar; 200 ml water; 250 ml fresh lemon juice (from about 8–10 lemons); 1 litre cold water; Ice cubes to serve; 6 slices lemon, for garnish; 6 fresh strawberries, halved, for garnish; 6 sprigs fresh mint (optional)

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control