How to beat sky‑high café prices with homemade strawberry lemonade

During hot days, the more we drink, the better. Coffee, tea, juices, water, compotes – the choice is large, but we must not forget about lemonade. The classic one is made from lemons, but it's much better to use these fruits during strawberry season.

Lemonade is a frequent feature in summer articles in the style of "price shock." Indeed, you often have to pay a lot in restaurants. And it's easy to be tempted because it quenches thirst and hydrates well. However, it's worth checking the price first. That's why I've been making lemonade at home for a long time. Children especially love this strawberry one.

It's known that everything we make ourselves will be cheaper than in a restaurant. But in the case of lemonade, it should be emphasized that it is significantly more affordable. The cost of making it at home is not high. In establishments, we often pay well over £3 for a glass of the drink. Classic lemonade is based on lemons, but you can also use other fruits. I'm leaning towards strawberries, but you can't do without citrus additions.

The history of lemonade begins with water and lemon. It was based on this simple drink, with modifications and added sugar syrup, that lemonade was created. Over the years, it started being made with other fruits as well. However, the addition of lemon juice is always necessary. It adds an incredibly refreshing sour taste and contains vitamin C. Water is also essential in lemonade because such a drink hydrates quite well. Green leaves added to almost every version of lemonade are also associated with it. No herb beats mint when it comes to cooling effects. And strawberries? They are rich in vitamin C, fibre, and folic acid and have a good impact on the heart. There are plenty of reasons to eat them in any form.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres of water,
• 2 cups of strawberries,
• 2 lemons,
• 3-4 tablespoons of sugar,
• 1/4 cup of water,
• a handful of fresh mint,
• ice optionally.

Preparation method:

1. Wash the lemons and strawberries, and rinse the mint sprigs.
2. Boil 1/4 cup of water, and add sugar. Stir thoroughly to make a syrup.
3. Remove the hulls from the strawberries. Squeeze the juice from the lemons.
4. Place the strawberries in a blender, add water, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. Blend the mixture.
5. Strain the lemonade through a sieve into a large pitcher. Add chopped fresh mint leaves and a handful of ice cubes. You can also blend the ice cubes.