Easy Vodka Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail
Nothing says summertime like a pitcher of strawberry vodka lemonade! Made with fresh strawberries, juicy lemons, and a sweet homemade strawberry simple syrup, make this cocktail anytime you're ready to dine al fresco on a hot summer day or are having a backyard cookout!
If you love a strawberry drink as much as I do, try my sparkling pink lemonade, a minty strawberry mojito, or a refreshing strawberry gin smash!
Make a Pitcher of Strawberry Vodka Lemonade for the Summer!
We've finally started dining out on the deck again so you know that means that spring and summer recipes are about to go down!
If you're a fan of sweet cocktails, you're going to love my blog, I'm just sayin'! The spring and summer months are filled with tons of beautiful and easy cocktails and mocktails.
The first thing I'm going to do with our first crop of berries is make this delicious cocktail: a spiked strawberry lemonade.
This is an easy pink lemonade recipe made with simple ingredients: homemade lemonade, and sliced strawberries, but adding just a bit of your favorite vodka makes it a fun and easy cocktail that will be perfect for hot summer days.
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Jump to:
- Make a Pitcher of Strawberry Vodka Lemonade for the Summer!
- Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make A Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail
- Make the Strawberry Syrup
- Make the Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
- Variations and Recipe Tips for this Delicious Cocktail
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Equipment I Used
- FAQs
- More Fun Summer Drinks
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- My strawberry vodka lemonade recipe is perfect summer drink! It's refreshing and full of sweet strawberries and tart lemonade, the perfect combination for warm weather.
- Learn how to make a flavored simple syrup - you'll get the best flavor using a simple syrup. Not only does it make our drink perfectly sweet, but it adds a concentrated dose of strawberry flavor, too!
- Make enough for a crowd - this recipe makes 8 servings, but you can easily multiply it for more in the recipe card.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh or Frozen Strawberries - use fresh strawberries, they're great as a part of the you could use frozen strawberries will work as well if they're not in season. This recipe is a great way to use up those older strawberries that the kids won't eat.
- Lemons - I use the zest and fresh lemon juice in this recipe. It really gives that intense lemon flavor you're looking for!
- Granulated Sugar - this has a neutral flavor, so it just gives us sweet without changing the flavor from strawberry and lemon.
- Vodka - the best vodka is your favorite vodka!
- Cold Water - a must for lemonade.
How to Make A Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail
This strawberry lemonade vodka drink is so easy, it's great for busy weeknights and to make ahead for big parties coming up (Memorial Day BBQ, anyone?).
Make the Strawberry Syrup
Step 1 | Make the syrup by simmering chopped strawberries in water and sugar. Stir it so the sugar dissolves, then let simmer away until the syrup is a vibrant pink-red and the strawberries are slumped over.
Step 2 | pour the strawberry simple syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heat-safe container. Yes, it really is that beautiful red color naturally!
Make the Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
Step 3 | Stir together the sugar, lemon zest, and strawberry slices at the bottom of a pitcher. Let them mingle and get juicy for about 5 minutes.
Step 4 | Pour in the lemon juice and vodka, and stir very well.
Step 5 | Pour in enough cups of water to fill the pitcher and mix well.
Step 6 | Add ice cubes, frozen or fresh strawberries and lemons to the pitcher, Then add the strawberry syrup. Stir really well and serve cold in glasses or mason jars with fresh lemon slices!
Variations and Recipe Tips for this Delicious Cocktail
- What about the alcohol? You can use a flavored vodka of any kind, like citrus vodka or strawberry lemonade vodka. Those are great options to amplify that summertime flavor. You can also infuse vodka yourself, a fun and tasty project where you can make endless flavor combinations.
- Make a frozen strawberry lemonade vodka cocktail slushy by using a blender to crush the frozen strawberries to a silky-smooth texture.
- Make it into a tropical drink by adding ginger, pineapple, or guava nectar!
- Use other fresh fruit for a seriously fruity lemonade on a hot day. My suggestions: blackberries, watermelon, or peaches!
- Make it fizzy and bubbly by adding club soda into the pitcher for your large batch, or simply top it off with the sparkling water if you're making a cocktail for one or two.
- Add ginger beer for a strawberry lemonade mule version!
Make Ahead and Storage
Make this strawberry cocktail ahead of time for any occasion!
Store the lemonade in the fridge. It'll stay fresh for up to 2-3 days in a pitcher with a lid. Just add ice and garnishes before serving.
Equipment I Used
- a chef knife, nice and sharp!
- a strawberry huller to take out the stems with ease.
- a good cutting board.
- a small saucepan for making the strawberry syrup.
- Fine Mesh Sieve for straining the syrup.
- a citrus juicer for squeezing lemons.
- a large pitcher to hold it all in!
FAQs
You can absolutely use frozen strawberries in both the syrup and the drink itself. They make fabulous ice cubes!
Just leave out the alcohol and you have a delicious strawberry lemonade. Give it a little zhush with tonic water, ginger beer, or other mix in.
Don't want to make a strawberry syrup? You can throw some strawberries in the blender for fresh strawberry puree instead! It's so, so delicious, especially if you use frozen strawberries!
More Fun Summer Drinks
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients
- ½ pound strawberries washed, hulled, and sliced
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups cold water
- 2 cup vodka
- Ice for serving
- Slices of strawberries and lemons for garnish
Strawberry Simple Syrup
- ¼ pound strawberries fresh or frozen, and hulled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Simple Syrup
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the strawberries, water, and sugar. Let them simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the strawberries are slumped and look ugly and their red color has been leached into the simple syrup.¼ pound strawberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heat-safe container. This can be made up to 5 days ahead of time!
Make the Strawberry Vodka Lemonade Cocktail
- At the bottom of a pitcher or in a medium sized mixing bowl, smash the fresh strawberries with the lemon zest, and granulated sugar until the strawberries are releasing juice and are well muddled.½ pound strawberries, 2 tablespoon lemon zest, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the lemon juice, vodka, and cold water to the pitcher (or add the mashed and macerated strawberries to the pitcher with the water if you used a bowl). Stir well.2 cups lemon juice, 2 cup vodka, 4 cups cold water
- Add the strawberry simple syrup to the pitcher and stir well to combine. Add ice and serve cold!Ice
