I’m a Florida girl adjusting to the heat in Oklahoma, and on days when I long for Florida (and crave a cool drink), I reach for this amazing beverage. It has the ideal ratio of punch to sweetness!
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 5 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, or to taste
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 12 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
- ice, as needed
- 2 liters seltzer water, chilled
Instructions
- Bring sugar, water, lemon zest, orange zest, and basil to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and allow simple syrup to cool, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Pour lemon juice and orange juice into a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix®). Add strawberries and simple syrup. Blend on low speed (1), then slowly increase speed to high (10) and blend until pureed, about 45 seconds.
- For each drink, fill an old fashioned glass with ice. Pour 1/4 cup strawberry puree over top and fill with seltzer water.