Strawberry Lemonade with Pineapple Mint Syrup

This Strawberry Lemonade with Pineapple Mint Syrup is perfect for summer! Read on to grab the recipe.

I'm hanging on to the last few days of summer. It's not over yet!

In less than 2 weeks I'll be back to work, and Canadian kids will be back in their classrooms. But until then I'm enjoying the warm weather (34°C today!), and all the fun foods that go with it! Well, as much as I can... I had gum surgery a couple weeks ago, and I can't eat anything crunchy, so no chips & dip or popcorn for me. My periodontist did a really good job though so I can't complain.

Anyhow, here's a recipe that really captures the essence of summer. It's pretty, refreshing, and when you make it with in-season strawberries it's even better! I'm a bit late in that respect... but there's always next year 🙂

Oh, and this recipe uses Pineapple Mint, which is an ingredient that you might not be familiar with. Here's some info on this unique herb.

What is Pineapple Mint?

Pineapple Mint is a variation of the apple mint family and can be easily identified by its pretty green and white leaves. It has a slight pineapple flavour and is a milder mint than spearmint or peppermint. It can be used in fruit salads, cold drinks, or even dried and used in teas. I usually buy a Pineapple Mint plant from my local nursery, as I haven't seen the herb in any groceries yet.

I think the next time I make this I’ll use blueberries or blackberries. That might be interesting. Have you experimented with adding fruit to your lemonade before? Let me know in the comments below.

Strawberry Lemonade with Pineapple Mint Simple Syrup

This lemonade gets its pretty colour from pureed strawberries. The pineapple mint simple syrup adds both sweetness and a refreshing cool flavour. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your taste. If you want a more tart lemonade, use less of the simple syrup. If you want a weaker lemonade, use more water. You could even just let your guests mix their own drinks by leaving out the pitcher of fruit juices with a jar of simple syrup, and a of pitcher water.

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Created By: Shareba Abdul

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PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes

COOK TIME 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME 25 minutes

COURSE Beverage

CUISINE Canadian

SERVINGS 8 Servings

CALORIES 358

Ingredients

For the Pineapple Mint Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 10-12 pineapple mint , , chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Lemonade:

• 1 pint strawberries, , washed & hulled
• 4 lemons, , washed
• 2 cups pineapple mint simple syrup
• 3 cups water

Instructions 

To Make The Pineapple Mint Simple Syrup:

• Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
• The sugar will begin to dissolve after a few minutes, stir occasionally to help it along.
• Once all of the sugar has melted into the water, and the mixture has thickened a bit, add the mint leaves to the saucepan, along with the lemon zest.
• Stir the mixture, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Cooking the mint will result in a grassy flavour.
• Pour into a glass jar or glass measuring cup and allow to cool before putting in the fridge.
• Leave the mixture in the fridge overnight to infuse the flavours into the simple syrup.
• Strain through a sieve before using.
• This recipe should yield 2 cups of simple syrup.

To Prepare the Strawberries and Lemons:

• Add the strawberries to a blender and use the puree or liquify setting.
• Strain the strawberry puree through a fine sieve to remove seeds and hard bits. You should get about 1 cup of strawberry "juice". Set this aside for now.
• Press down on the lemons and roll them on your countertop to help release the juice.
• Juice the lemons into a bowl or measuring cup.
• Strain the liquid to remove seeds and pith. You should get about 1 ½ cups of lemon juice depending on how juicy your lemons are.
• Combine the strawberry "juice" and lemon juice in a pitcher.

To Assemble the Strawberry Lemonade:

• In the pitcher with the fruit juices, combine 2 cups of the Pineapple Mint Simple Syrup and add about 3 cups of water. You may want to add the simple syrup and water bit-by-bit so you can adjust the taste.
• Serve chilled over ice with a spring of mint, if desired.

Notes

You can substitute spearmint or peppermint for the pineapple mint if you wish, however, you may want to reduce the quantity since pineapple mint is milder than traditional mints.

You could add sparkling water or vodka to this recipe.

Please note that the nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate, and has been calculated using a plugin. 

Please read the blog post for detailed tips and explanations.

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 90g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 64.1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3.7mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: this nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of this information cannot be guaranteed.

Have you made this recipe?Please leave a review in the comments below!