Strawberry Basil Soda

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 quarts strawberries
• 1 cup lemon juice
• chilled soda water or sparkling water

Preparation

Step 1

Make Strawberry-Basil Syrup:
Combine basil leaves and sugar in a food processor and process until moist and green. Wash and hull strawberries. Add to food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let infuse as mixture cools to room temperature. Strain cooled mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on strawberries to extract juice. Add lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, pour 1 part strawberry-basil syrup into a chilled Collins glass and top with 2 parts chilled soda water or sparkling water.