Refreshing Elderflower Strawberry Lemonade

This refreshing elderflower strawberry lemonade combines the floral notes of elderflower with the tartness of lemon juice and the sweetness of ripe strawberries, making it the essence of summer.

 

 

This is the kind of drink you drink when you put on your favorite summer dress, and walk in the fresh grass and flowers without any shoes on. It is refreshing, sweet, tart, floral. It is the summer drink, I think. 

 

For more summer drinks, I can recommend these too:

• Southern bourbon peach tea
• Blackberry bourbon smash
• Aloe-ha gin and tonic
• Brazilian lemonade
• Rhubarb soda

 

And there are tons more in my 99 Summer Drinks cookbook!

 

Ingredients

 

• Sugar: Providing sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemon juice and enhance the natural flavor of the strawberries.
• Water: Serving as the base for the lemonade, diluting the ingredients to achieve the desired consistency.
• Elderflower: Infusing the lemonade with its delicate floral aroma and subtle sweetness.
• Lemon Juice: Adding a refreshing tartness and citrusy brightness.
• Strawberries: Contributing natural sweetness and vibrant color to the lemonade.

 

Instructions

 

To make elderflower lemonade, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Take it off the heat and add in the elderflower heads. Let this infuse for 30 minutes before straining and combining with the lemon juice.

 

To make the strawberry syrup, add quartered strawberries and sugar to a bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir to combine. Add strawberries and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain and then scoop off the foam. 

 

To make elderflower strawberry lemonade: Combine the two drinks and do the taste test. Do you think it tastes too strong? Add a little more water to dilute it, start with 1 cup.

 

Garnish with a lemon slice and fresh strawberries, enjoy!

 

 

Substitutions

 

• Replace granulated sugar with honey or agave syrup for a natural sweetener alternative. Honey is much sweeter than sugar, so try cutting the amount in half first, then taste and adjust accordingly. 
• Use sparkling water instead of still water when diluting the drink for a fizzy variation of the straweberry lemonade.
• If you don't have fresh elderflowers, you can make the diluted strawberry syrup and mix it with however much elderflower cordial as you want. It can be hard to balance the sweetness and the elderflower flavor, so you need to taste and adjust as you go.
• You can also use other flowers, like lilacs (1:1 ratio), a tiny amount of lavender as it's pretty pungent, or chamomile for a milder flower variation.

 

Variations

 

• Minty fresh: Add fresh mint leaves to the lemonade for an extra burst of freshness.
• Frozen delight: Blend the lemonade with ice to create a slushy version, perfect for hot summer days. Or freeze half of it and blend with the unfrozen half if you don't want to dilute it!
• Alcoholic twist: Spike the lemonade with a splash of vodka or gin for a grown-up cocktail option (I love a good vodka lemonade!).

 

 

Equipment

 

A saucepan for preparing the simple syrup, a blender for pureeing the strawberries, and a large pitcher for mixing and serving the lemonade. That's it!

 

Storage

 

Store any leftover lemonade in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Stir well before serving, as the ingredients may settle over time.

It is also a nice to drink to freeze. Just thaw in the refrigerator and stir (or blend) well before serving. 

 

Expert tips

 

• Garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh elderflower for an elegant presentation. This also indicates the ingredients in the drink, which I love to do. Just make sure they are free of any bugs!
• Adjust the sweetness of the lemonade by adding more or less sugar, according to your preference. There's no hard rule here!
• For a stronger elderflower flavor, steep the elderflower in the simple syrup for a longer duration. 
• Using high-quality strawberries is absolute key to making a delicious strawberry lemonade. I always use local berries from Valldal (polka strawberries), as they are sweet and very flavorful. 

 

 

Elderflower recipes

If you want more elderflower recipes, here is a good place to start:

• Lemon zucchini bread with elderflower sugar
• Lemon elderflower sorbet
• Homemade elderflower cordial
• Grapefruit mimosa with elderflower liqueur
• The Lucky Leprechaun Cocktail

 

Yes, I love to use elderflower in summery recipes! 

 

Strawberry recipes

For more uses of your fresh strawberries, you could make this refreshing strawberry sorbet, strawberry peach pie, strawberry scones, fresh strawberry cake with a luscious lemon curd, or strawberry rhubarb oatmeal bars. 

 

Combining elderflower and strawberries and you have the pinnacle of summer foods and drinks, don't you agree? It is the perfect combination of sweet, juicy, and floral.

 

Recipe FAQs

 

You can also pour the drinks into the glass separately, to make a slight ombre effect as the shot below. Either way you decide to do it, I hope you'll love it as much as I do! 

 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more summer drinks I think you'd love:

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you're never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. 

 

As thanks, you will receive a free e-cookbook Travels Through the Seasons, with many delicious recipes from around the world that suit different seasons of the year. 

 

To keep the blog up and running this post may contain affiliate links, it will be at no extra cost to you, please read the disclosure for more information.

 

Print

Recipe