Manageability – Medium effort for amazing lemonade.
When I was growing up… not that you need to know how old I am, or have any right to ask… but when I was young, Chef Emeril Lagasse was known for two things and two things only: “Bam!” and “Kick it up a notch!” Other than that, I have no idea what he was known for. Was he the first to stick something on a non-stick pan? Did he invent the frisco melt? Who cares. Anyways, here’s his Strawberry Lemonade.
On the surface, this is kindof a lot for a glass of lemonade. I don’t foresee a bunch of little kids asking their dads to set up a stand, and then boiling a pot of sugar water and pressing it through a fine-mesh sieve. Each glass would be waaaayyy more than a quarter. To Emeril’s credit though, this glass is really, REALLY refreshing. There’s just something about fresh lemons and strawberries that those power-brands can’t compete with. That, plus the seltzer really gave this a more-than-concentrate feel and an incredible drinkability. Almost organic, but not in the “organic food” sense. It just tasted like a cool summer evening drink. It felt Effortless, but it did require effort. If this is any barometer, I made one pitcher for 7 kids, and only 5 kids got to actually drink any. It’s that good.
So, in his immortal words, he really did take lemonade and “kick it up a notch”. And yes, I know that’s a lame joke, but I’m not a writer. I’m Martha Martha Martha.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons), plus 1 lemon sliced, for serving. Sorry, 7 lemons.
- 1 pound strawberries (3 cups), hulled and halved
- 16 ounces seltzer, chilled
- Mint sprigs, for serving or for… minting.
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water and sugar to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 2 minutes. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
- In a blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher with lemon syrup, pressing on solids. Stir well to combine. Combine well. Just do everything well.
- To serve, stir in seltzer and divide among ice-filled glasses. Top with lemon slices and mint.