Strawberry and Lemon Crush

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mother's Day is nearly upon us and I wanted to share the recipe for this marvelously refreshing sipper with those of you who still are working on Sunday's menu. The drink is a non-alcoholic crush that's made with strawberries and fresh lemon juice. Crush is the name originally given to soft drinks whose flavors were enhanced by the addition of crushed fruit and oil from the peel. If you enjoy lemonade but are tired of the same ol' same ol' thirst quenchers, I hope you will give this a try. It is tart and sweet and the unmistakable flavor of fresh strawberries manages to hold its own against the more aromatic and assertive lemons, without making a drink that is cloyingly sweet. This crush has wonderful color and I like to serve it tall glasses that are packed with crushed ice. The Silver Fox tends to shy away from any drink that is colored pink, but even he likes this one and has learned how to make it for himself. For those of you who do not know him, that's tantamount to a rave review. I do hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry and Lemon Crush...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Emeril Lagasse
 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup super fine sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup stemmed and halved strawberries
1 cup unflavored sparkling water or soda water
Cracked ice
Optional: Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1) In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine sugar, lemon juice, and water and stir to dissolve sugar. Combine strawberries and sweetened water in a blender. Puree on high speed until smooth. Add sparkling water and pulse to incorporate. Taste and add more sugar if desired, and pulse to incorporate. Place cracked ice in 2 tall slender glasses. Pour strawberry crush over ice, garnish with mint sprigs, and serve. Yield: 2 servings.


This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

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