Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade + A Special Announcement


One of my favorite things to do when the weather warms up is to sit outside on our deck and drink a glass of wine, a beer, or a yummy cocktail.  However, this spring and summer I'll have to settle for a nonalcoholic option... because I'm pregnant!  That's right, Caroline is going to be a big sister!


I am due in September, and Joey and I are over the moon with excitement.  I have to admit that keeping up a variety of new recipes for my blog has been difficult with morning (all day) sickness, but I'm hoping that with the second trimester, things will improve.

So while this isn't a yummy cocktail, it is a pretty delicious mocktail.  With this pregnancy, I have taken to making mocktails quite often.  See, drinking too much water causes me to feel sick, and juice is way too sweet for me, but sparkling water really helps settle my stomach.  So I've made several variations of sparkling water + a splash of juice.  It makes me feel fancy, plus keeps me from getting sick.  Win-win!

This sparkling lemonade takes advantage of all the beautiful Florida strawberries that are starting to flood the markets, and the sweetness of the strawberries are nicely tempered by the tartness from the lemon.  The addition of sparkling water gives the lemonade a fun fizzy finish, and the sugar on the rim really made me feel like I was enjoying a fun drink.

I personally thought the lemon flavor could have come through a bit more (I really love super tart lemonade), so I've given a range for the amount of lemon juice.  And if you don't want to have a fizzy drink, just use regular water instead of sparkling.  I am already excited about trying new variations of this - I think blueberry or raspberry will be especially delicious this summer!


Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
adapted from Willow Bird Baking, originally from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
makes 6-7 cups of lemonade


Strawberry Syrup
  • 1 heaping cup chopped strawberries
  • 2 Tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • pinch salt
  • 2 Tbs cold water
Lemonade
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup very hot water
  • 1-1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 1/2 cups cold sparkling water or seltzer
 To make the strawberry syrup, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and water in a food processor or blender.  Puree until smooth.  Pour through a strainer into a medium bowl to remove the seeds, pressing down to extract as much liquid as possible.

To make the lemonade, combine the hot water and sugar in a pitcher and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Add the lemon juice, strawberry syrup, and water.

To serve, rub a lemon wedge around the rim of a glass, then dip in sugar.  Fill with ice, then the lemonade.  Garnish with fresh strawberries or lemon slices.  Serve immediately.


30 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations Josie! So exciting! Caroline is beyond adorable - I'm sure she'll be a great big sister :)

I've made this recipe too, and really enjoyed it. Love your idea to add sparkling water, I'll have to try that variation this summer!

Jenn said...

Congratulations! Hopefully you start to feel better soon. Your daughter is such a sweetie!

Dishes of Mrs. Fish said...

Congratulations!
I love Caroline's outfit and this mocktail, so delicious and refreshing!

Unknown said...

How exciting!!! Hope you feel better soon! This mocktail looks deeelicious! Also your daughter is precious!

Kim Anderson said...

Congratulations! That is just awesome. And I love strawberry lemonade and will have to try this soon.

Jessica said...

Congratulations! How exciting!

Amy said...

What fabulous news! And the recipe sounds like perfection!

Ashley said...

Can't wait to make this fun mocktail! Congrats on your exciting news!

http://turquoiseandteale.blogspot.com/

Michelle said...

Craving lemonade? Remember my lemon crazed pregnancy? Maybe it's a boy.... ;)

kylee said...

Congratulations!!

kokocooks said...

Congratulations! This lemonade looks yummy.

the happy family said...

Congrats! Looks so yummy!

Natalie said...

ahh HUGE congrats to you! That is so exciting...and she is too cute with her big sister shirt :)

Joanne said...

Oh Josie MEGA congratulations! I am over the moon happy for you guys!

Shanon said...

Congratulations, Josie!

And, your mocktail is making me thirsty. That sounds so delicious right about now.

Shanon

Kelsey said...

Congratulations Josie! I am so excited for you family. Caroline is just about the cutest girl in the world...I can't wait to see what the newest addition will look like!

Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes said...

Congrats Josie! How exciting!

amanda @ fake ginger said...

Congrats!! That's so exciting! The lemonade looks delicious. :)

Nicole said...

Congratulations! We are both due in September and have little ladies who will become big sisters :) I can't wait to virtually share a mocktail with you, this recipe looks wonderful. Feel better soon!

Kim said...

Congratulations!!! Hooray for babies! They're all so cute and squeezeable!

This mocktail looks fab! I love anything with sparkling water/seltzer in it. And you can never have too many recipes for strawberries!

Lucy@The Sweet Touch said...

This looks perfect - cool and refreshing!

Congrats on the great news!

Kelli H said...

Congratulations to you and your family!

I always love your drink recipes! Looks delicious and satisfying on a warm sunny day.

Courtney said...

Congratulations Josie! What fantastic news. I love your blog!

#1SAHM said...

Congrats! So exciting! I hope you feel better soon, I highly recommend zofran if you don't soon. your daughter is stinkin' adorable btw

Nicole-The Galley Gourmet said...

Josie-
Thank you for sharing your happy news! This cocktail will be perfect for a mid-afternoon summer refresher with the neighbors or for a Sunday Dinner kiddie cocktail. Best to you and your family:)

Nikki @Pennies on a Platter said...

So excited for you, Josie! I have a non-alcoholic drink I'll be sharing on the blog soon that you can enjoy this summer, too. :) Caroline is so pretty in her Big Sister outfit. I bet she will be a great help! Congrats!

Anonymous said...

What does tbs and tsp mean?
Congrats for the baby :3

Josie said...

Tbs = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon

Anonymous said...

can i use gingerale instead of sparkling water?

Mary said...

Congratulations on the pregnancy. This sounds like a wonderful recipe.

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