Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail
by Katie Webster
June 20, 2014 (updated 6/10/22) Jump To Recipe
Here is a recipe for a cocktail that may just be your new favorite summer drink. It is made with home-made strawberry infused vodka and ginger lemonade made from scratch. But here’s a warning, it makes a big batch, so make sure you have lots of friends around to enjoy it with you.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail
Although I’m just now sharing this cocktail recipe with you, it’s not a new recipe to me. I came up with this drink a while ago when I was working at a restaurant. We called them “Katie’s Pink Lemonade” and they sold like hotcakes.
They are dangerously quaffable. Something about the lemonade makes their booziness undetectable. Plus, pink lemonade is a classic that almost no-one can withstand.
The freshness of the fruity flavor paired with the peppery ginger, along with the shocking pink color make these special enough to serve at a big event, like a wedding or a summer party. If you don’t have anything big coming up, you can even just keep a batch in the fridge for the weekend.
Another thing I love about this cocktail recipe is that you can use the Ginger Simple Syrup that I call for in so many other drink recipes. Add it to a spritz, a cocktail with thyme, or even just regular non-alcohol lemonade! Everyone can enjoy this ginger syrup–even the kids.
Key Ingredients For This Strawerry Infused Vodka
Strawberries
Look for strawberries that are firm but also bright red in color! Since you’re infusing the strawberry flavor into the alcohol you want to make sure your strawberries are full of sweetness and flavor, and don’t taste dull and/or old. My recommendation is buying fresh organic strawberries from a market, but any strawberries will do.
Vodka
When I go to the liquor store to buy alcohol for my cocktail recipes I almost always look for the local options. I love supporting distilleries near me, and that way I also know I’m getting high-quality stuff. A win-win!
With that being said, you can absolutely just stick to whatever vodka you prefer. Smirfnoff, Absolute, and Svedka will work just fine. It’s really up to preference.
Additional Ingredients
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup ginger simple syrup
Step by Step Instructions To Make Strawberry Lemonade Cocktails
Step 1: Make strawberry vodka
Place the strawberries in a large (1/2 gallon) jar or jug. Pour vodka over the strawberries. Cover and allow to infuse in a cool dark place for two days or up to one month.
Step 2: Make cocktail
Mix the water, lemon juice and ginger simple syrup together in a pitcher. Strain the strawberry vodka into the lemonade. Discard the strawberries. Serve the pink lemonade cocktail chilled over ice.
FAQs and Expert Tips
You’ll know the strawberries have really infused into the vodka when the vodka turns bright red and the strawberries are anemic looking. Just strain them out when you’re ready to make a batch of the cocktails.
If your party isn’t for a little while, but you want to make this while the strawberries are in season, you can leave them in there for a month in a cool dark place. Then just strain and refrigerate for as long as you want.
To make this drink non-alcoholic, muddle some fresh strawberries in the bottom of a glass. Top with the lemon-ginger mixture and a little soda water or tonic.
Additional Cocktail Recipes to Try
- Here’s how to make the best Micheladas, also known as red beer. It’s a savory beer drink, served with ice, lime, hot sauce and tomato juice.
- These smoky, tart and sweet Mescal Margaritas, made with Cuantro, freshly squeezed lime and orange juice have a salted rim with a surprising ingredient!
- My Vanilla Pear Moscow Mules are super simple to stir together, and are a fun and festive cocktail for the holidays!
- Grapefruit Champagne Cocktails are a breeze to make and they showcase my favorite liquor, Campari.
- This Pomegranate Lemon Drop Martini is a festive cocktail for the holiday season. It only takes 5 minutes to whip up.
- Another pretty pink cocktail to try is this Grapefruit Hibiscus Cocktail.
- One of my favorite drinks of all time is this Maple Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour. It’s so tasty and fresh.
- Our new Arnold Palmer Bourbon Cocktail is a little sweet, tart and tannic. Just perfect for a summer evening sipper.
Additional Strawberry Recipes to Try
- These make-ahead Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes are a healthier twist on the classic recipe.
- I love making this Green Salad with Chicken, Strawberries and Goat Cheese for lunch, dinner or even for a festive brunch on Mother’s Day.
- This recipe for Fruit Salsa is a Master Recipe of sorts. Take the basic formula and use any fruit you like!
- Our Strawberry Coulis is a simple sauce that is amazing on ice cream or over pancakes.
- This Fresh Strawberry Smoothie has a bit of peanut butter in it for added healthy fats and protein.
- Save some of your strawberries to make these frozen treats from All Day I Dream About Food: Low Carb Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles
- Holy Yum: Roasted Strawberry Olive Oil Cake from Nutmeg Nanny!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 7 1/2 cups 1x
Description
Home made strawberry-infused vodka mixed with ginger lemonade made from scratch. A special drink for a signature cocktail or just for a fun party! Makes a big batch!
Ingredients
- 4 cups hulled strawberries, cut into thirds
- 1 750-ml bottle Vodka
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup ginger simple syrup
Instructions
- Place strawberries in a large (1/2 gallon) jar or jug. Pour vodka over the strawberries. Cover and allow to infuse in a cool dark place for two days or up to one month.
- Mix water lemon juice and ginger simple syrup in a pitcher. Strain vodka into the lemonade. Discard the strawberries. Serve chilled over ice.
Notes
This recipe can be scaled up or down. To make the infused vodka in advance, it can sit on the berries for a month. Then strain and refrigerate it.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Category: cocktail
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup plus ice
- Calories: 151
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 3 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
Keywords: strawberry lemonade cocktail,
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
This is a great recipe. Not too sweet and lots of flavor!
★★★★★
So perfect for the weekend! It’s a favorite around here! Cheers!
★★★★★
I made this for the first time last summer and it has become my favorite summer drink! Thank you!
★★★★★
I need this today more than ever!
★★★★★
I’m bookmarking this for the weekend! My hubby will sure love this! I can’t wait to make this. I’m so excited!
★★★★★
Now I just need to have a party so I have lots of people to share this delicous drink with! So yummy!
This sounds amazing. We are thinking about using this as a signature drink at our wedding. Any idea how to convert it to a larger batch?
Yes! I used two 5-gallon buckets. And about a month before the wedding I filled them with the vodka and berries. We just bought handles of really cheap vodka and picked berries. Use the ratio of 1 quart berries to 750 ml vodka. Cover and let it sit for a month. No need to refrigerate. Just make sure the berries are completely covered in the booze. That preserves them. Then strain. I bought lemon juice by the quart- I special ordered it from our privately owned supermarket. Then just made the lemonade with the ratio mentioned above. You’ll have to map it out with some math as you go- but it is really not as hard as it sounds. And everyone loved it!
This sounds amazing! I’d love to sit and sip on this with you, Katie!
Started my infusion today! Should be perfect by the 4th of July. I can’t wait to try it. Your pictures are beautiful
Yay Taylor! So cool to hear you’re making this. I guess that means you’re not coming up to VT for the 4th? Hope you and your friends enjoy! Hugs 🙂
these look gorgeous Katie, the pictures just breathe refreshing! and of course you have me craving booze on a Monday, because it’s not like I had enough of it over the weekend or anything 😉
Thank you Christine. And lol about the booze craving on a Monday.
oh..the lighting…simply makes me happy!
It must be very tasty!
It took me some time to get this light the way I wanted it, but I was really happy with it. So glad you like it too Angie. I really appreciate the compliment.
Loving this drink Kate! It screams summer to me! Pinning this and making… love strawberry infused vodka!
Awesome! So cool that you’re planning to make this Chris. And thank you for pinning.
You had me at “homemade ginger lemonade”. That sounds amazing!
The lemonade on its own is so refreshing. I love the combo of lemon and ginger.
it looks so refreshing!
Thank you Dina, it sure is.
NO GLARE ON YOUR GLASSES!!!! Teach me your ways! The lighting in these photos is soooo gorgeous. I hate strawberries (I know, I’m a freak) and I’m ready to abandon my life long hate for the fruit and drink one of these babies ASAP because they are just so pretty.
The glare thing, make sure your room is dark and that you aren’t catching bounce off of something. The bottom shot with the side light is the only one. The other ones were all completely back lit. I took 58 shots of this, which is a lot for me. But finding the right light and exposure was really hard. I just did a lot of trial and error. Have we discussed if you are shooting tethered Ari? Let’s talk about this at this months Google Hang-out. K? And lol yes you’re a freak to not like strawberries, but FYI you can do this with raspberries.