Memorial Day is behind us, and you know what that means! Summer!

I don’t know about you, but when summer finally hits, I intend to enjoy it for all its sweetness. I can hardly wait for serious grilling and smoking, time outdoors with friends on our newly redesigned patio, romping in the backyard with our sweet, new dog and—you know me— tasty summer cocktails!

My passion for great drinks at home was born at the start of Covid, when we desperately needed something fun to take the sting out of being stuck at home, and since then, I’ve learned a great deal about how to make a drink fun, special and seasonal. The good thing is, it doesn’t have to be complicated and I’m here to prove that today.

There is a lot to love about this strawberry syrup. For starters, it’s simple to make— from only fresh berries and real cane sugar— and it works with a variety of spirits for cocktails. It tastes like summer, you can make it ahead and stash it in the fridge, and because you make your own, you get to choose the level of sweetness. Another thing that’s great is that your berries don’t even have to be pretty. They can be lopsided, bruised, scarred or ripe on only one side. You’re only after the juice, so nothing goes to waste here. Have I sold you yet? 

I made this syrup the same way I begin strawberry shortcake, by cutting up a pound of ripe, fresh organic berries and macerating them in real sugar— but in this case, a lot more sugar than for shortcake, about half a cup. The sugar coaxes the berries to release their juices, and I wanted a lot of juice. The object is for this syrup to be sweet and intense.

After two days of macerating— which is just a fancy word for soaking in liquid— the berries had given off a lot of juice, and they were ready to be strained. I used a slotted spoon to pull out the  larger bits of berry, and then poured the syrup through a fine mesh strainer to filter out the small bits and seeds. I had a little better than 3/4 cup, so I added enough water to fill my one cup bottle and also to thin it out a little bit.

When you try this, you’ll notice that the strained-out berries will lose a great deal of their color and flavor, but they’re still perfectly edible. Add them to your morning cereal or a scoop of ice cream, if desired. As for the syrup, I used a funnel to transfer it to my sealable bottle, and then tucked it into the refrigerator, ready to go for summer cocktails! 

What kind of cocktails, you ask? Well, pick your poison because this strawberry syrup is very versatile— just right for jazzing up a classic Aperol spritz, a bourbon old-fashioned, a mezcal margarita and even a cool glass of lemonade. Think of it as a summery zhuzh for your cocktail repertoire!

To get the party started, I’ll share a quick, alcohol-free recipe that I’m calling “Respect Your Elderflowers,” made with strawberry syrup and fresh lemonade and topped off with elderflower-flavored tonic. Recipe for this simple summer refresher is listed at the end of the click-to-print recipe card.

Strawberry Syrup for Summer Cocktails

• Servings: Enough for about 10 cocktails
• Prep Time: 5 minutes, plus 2 days in fridge
• Difficulty: So easy!
• Print

This gorgeous syrup is very easy to make, with only ripe berries and cane sugar, and it will put a summer spin on all varieties of cocktails!

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh organic strawberries, cleaned and cut into bits
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar

It’s best to use organic strawberries whenever possible, as these delicate berries are frequently at the top of Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen.” The sugar I use is organic (and vegan, without use of bone char for filtering), but regular white or even caster sugar would work well here.

Directions

1. Add berries and sugar to a medium bowl and stir until sugar evenly coats all the berries. Cover and refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours, stirring a couple of times in between.
2. Strain mixture through a mesh strainer, pressing on the berries with the back of a large spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Add the berries to cereal or use as topping for ice cream if desired.
3. Filter remaining juice again through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. You should have about 3/4 cup of syrup. If syrup is very thick or sweeter than you’d like, add enough cold filtered water to make it one cup. Transfer syrup to a clean, sealable bottle or other glass container and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Give it a shake just before using.

Respect Your Elderflowers

• Servings: One mocktail
• Difficulty: Easy!
• Print

This is a simple but sophisticated non-alcoholic drink, a great refresher for summer and super easy with my strawberry syrup.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons strawberry syrup (above)
• 3 oz. freshly squeezed lemonade (homemade or store-bought, not from concentrate)
• 2 oz. Fever Tree elderflower tonic

Directions

1. Pour strawberry syrup over pellet ice or crushed ice. Add lemonade and stir gently to mix. Top with elderflower tonic for a refreshing, booze-free beverage.
2. Garnish with mint, strawberry, lemon slice or all three!