Basil Lemonade

Well, summer officially arrived in Seattle this week. The highs were in the 80s today and the weathermen were saying it's supposed to be around 90 tomorrow. A few of my girls came over today and to keep them cool and refreshed, I made a pitcher of basil lemonade. It was super delicious. So, if you're sweltering too in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend that you try it.

Basil Lemonade

Adapted from The Herb Companion, July 2010

1 cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice, about 5 lemons

1/2 cup sugar

6-8 large genovese basil leaves (more or less - this is not an exact science)

Sparkling water (I used local brand Talking Rain Sparkling Water, Lemon Zest flavor)

Ice

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a mason jar with a lid or cocktail shaker; shake vigorously until combined.

Put the basil leaves, ice and lemon juice mixture into a pitcher. Fill up the pitcher with about a liter of sparkling water (I used about half of a 2 liter bottle). Give the lemonade a good stir and serve it in cold glasses with a basil leaf or two.

Makes one pitcher (about 6 -7 pint glasses).

Enjoy and stay cool!