Yesterday was the first really warm day we’ve had this spring. 88 degrees. Pretty warm. Not hot, but still a taste of what’s in store for summer. After working all day, doing four loads of laundry and cooking dinner, I just wanted a tall glass of something refreshing. Something I could enjoy while we watched Dancing with the Stars, and caught up on email and Facebook. A tall glass of something cold to sip while we relaxed and wound down for the day. You know, right?
I suddenly remembered how much I used to enjoy the Strawberry Lemonade at Sonic. It was light and sweet and tart all at the same time. So, I grabbed a few things from the pantry and went to work. I didn’t have enough lemons to make a big pitcher of lemonade, but I had some limes so I added those. I also had a package of frozen strawberries hanging out in the freezer so I grabbed those, too. And, let me tell you, what I wound up with was just delicious. Just the thing to cool you down on a hot spring or summer day.
You’ll start by making a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar. Bring it to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely melted. You can then refrigerate the syrup until it’s cool or do what I did and add ice to cool it down right away.
While the syrup is cooling, remove the zest from one lime and one lemon. A microplane makes this job so easy and gives you a very finely grated zest. Love that tool! Set the zest aside and then juice the lemons and limes.
Put the thawed strawberries with their syrup in a large pitcher. Add the lemon-lime zest, the simple syrup and the juices. Stir together to blend. Add enough water to make a total of eight cups.
Now, taste your mixture. If you like it less tart, add water a cup at a time until you get just the taste you want. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh strawberries and/or lemon and lime slices.
Enjoy!
A refreshing combination of sweetened strawberries with a tart lemon-limeade.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups water
- Ice
- 3 limes
- 5-6 large lemons
- 1 10 oz. package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
- Water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove pan from the heat and add 4 cups of ice cubes.
- While the sugar-water mixture cools, finely grate the zest from one lime and one lemon. Set aside.
- Juice the lemons and limes. There should be about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups juice.
- Put the thawed strawberries with their syrup in the bottom of a pitcher.
- Add the finely grated zest, lemon-lime juice and the cooled sugar-water mixture.
- Add enough additional water to make a total of 8 cups.
- Serve over ice. Garnish with fresh strawberries and/or lemon and lime slices.
Other Lemon and Limeade recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Raspberry Lemonade from My Baking Addiction
- Dinasaur Dishes’ Lavendar Lemonade
- Cranberry Limeade from Simply Recipes
- Strawberry Limeade from Two Peas and Their Pod
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds so refreshing, Lana. I think it was just meant to be that you didn’t have enough lemons and added some limes instead – that combination sounds wonderful to me.
Interesting how not having all the ingredients you think you need sometimes leads to something wonderful.
That looks so refreshing! My mouth is watering.
It really is, Amy. I was just thinking about it and had to go pour myself another glass full.
Oh, that looks soooo good! Wish I had a glass right now. The thermometer is reading 95.
I wish you had a glass of it, too. ‘Cause that would mean you were at my house! Be careful in that heat, Mama.
Bookmarked I am a huge fan here of this one and its healthy….lemon is perfect for many things in the body and lime as well!
Thanks, Claudia! I hope that if you try it you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
oh my god that looks delicious!! I have a terrible weakness for lemons and limes and strawberries
My kids want to have a lemonade stand at our garage sale next week. This will be used.
Great! Be sure taste it since it’s pretty tart. You may want to add a touch more water for kids.
Delicious! I went to a Sonic for the very first time on our trip across country last summer. I tried the Cherry Limeade version. Yum!
I love Sonic – mostly for the drinks! They have some delicious lemonade combos there.
Growing up, my mom used to take me to a little neighborhood cafe on our special mom-daughter lunches and the place served Strawberry-Lemonade once the weather was nice enough to sit outside. I ordered it every time, without fail. This looks wonderful – a tall glass of childhood memories for me!
You know, nothing pleases me more than when one of my recipes brings back a treasured memory for a reader. Thanks for sharing your memory.
Sounds perfect Lana…I love the addition of some lime! I’m thinking I might also love the addition of some Spanish Cava or white wine. :)
Sounds really good to me!
Great drink for summer!
hitting 90 the last few days – miss that cool spell we had just a few weeks ago … your drink would be so refreshing right now, gonna do some yard work so just might make up a batch
When you’re done, just pack up your rake and mower and wheelbarrow and head on over this way. I’ll make you a pitcher of this lemonade :-)
omg yum!!
This sounds like a perfect drink for the Summer! Love it!
where can you find those great straws?
Gwyn – I ordered those from Bake it Pretty (www.bakeitpretty.com). They have lots of great stuff!
Lovely recipe! I wanted to let you know that I mention and link to your recipe on a post I did on simple syrups and summer cocktails :-) http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/four-simple-syrup-recipes-and-a-grenadine/
Mmmmm, sounds delish. I have a fantastic little “sunshine drink” of summer I came across recently called Sunny Orange Lemonade”
Lana, This lemonade just blew my socks off! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this and your site in general. You’ve got some amazing recipes, and I can’t wait to try more. I did repost this recipe on my blog and gave you credit for it. I hope you don’t mind. The whole world needs to witness the wonder of this drink. Thank you for posting it!
Callie
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