In Style's July edition, Joseph H. Moussa of JHM Event Group shared his tips for outdoor entertaining this summer. One piece of advice? Serve an attractive and refreshing seasonal drink in a beverage dispenser for your guests to enjoy! His personal go-to is freshly made strawberry basil lemonade, and he's dishing his recipe here.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Prep Time: 30 mins | Chill Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds or 6 cups strawberries, hulled
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 3.5 cups fresh lemon juice (with pulp)
- 1.5 cups sugar (vary to taste)
- 8 cups water
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- Wash and hull strawberries.
- Wash Basil.
- Squeeze lemons until you reach 3.5 cups. Depending on size, the number of lemons you'll need will vary. For this recipe, you'll need approximately 20–30 lemons.
- Add prepped strawberries, basil leaves, lemon juice and sugar (or sweetener of choice) into a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Put blended contents through a fine mesh strainer to remove any chunks or seeds.
- Place water and blended strawberry and basil into size-appropriate serving pitcher or dispenser, and stir.
- Chill for 30 minutes or serve immediately over ice.
- Garnish with strawberry slices, lemon and basil.
A few tips:
- If using a Vitamix, straining won't be necessary. Depending on the blender, you will most likely need/want to strain.
- If basil isn't your thing, try using some fresh mint!
- For the cocktail version, just spike it with some vodka, rum or champagne.
Joseph H. Moussa of JHM Event Group: Photo by Marco Calderon
The Expert:
Joseph H. Moussa
Owner & Creative Director
JHM Event Group | jhmeventgroup.com
