Looking for a way to use up those fresh strawberries? This healthy strawberry basil lime spritzer is a gorgeous and refreshing beverage that’s a good source of vitamin C and lower in sugar than your typical summer drink! {Gluten-free, vegetarian & paleo} 
We recently had a lot of strawberries in our fridge. And when I say a lot, I mean a TON.
I had bought a bunch the week before to test some recipes (like this Grilled Chicken Strawberry Avocado Salad) and then my mom came to visit and brought some MORE fresh ones over from a farm that she had visited.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love strawberries, but it was WAYYY too many for us to consume all by ourselves. Especially since they were already pretty ripe and starting to go a bit mushy.
So of course, I started wracking my brain trying to come up with some genius idea for what I could do with all of these overripe strawberries.
And then it hit me.
Several years ago, I had made this strawberry basil lemonade for an event at work and I remember it being a really big hit. I couldn’t quite remember the exact ingredients or proportions that I had used….don’t you just love when that happens?
You come up with this amazing recipe and don’t write it down??
UGGHHH.
Always write it down guys. Always write it down.
Because years later, when you want to make the recipe again, you’ll be KICKING yourself for not recording the ingredients. And that means, you’ll have to test it ALL OVER AGAIN.
That was me last week.
Luckily, after a bit of experimentation, I managed to come up with an even tastier version of the previous drink I had created because this one involved sparkly water!
And yes, I call it sparkly water…because I love everything sparkly ;)
My husband and I have a thing for Perrier water and usually go through about a case of it a week. I try to keep juice and pop out of the house, so we mostly just stick to drinking regular water mixed with sparkly water. It’s a great trick for making regular water taste a little bit more refreshing since you get the little bit of carbonation in there, but without all the added sugar.
Since we had some extra sparkly water kicking around due to our Perrier obsession, I decided to use that as a base for my strawberry drink.
I took a bunch of the really ripe strawberries and whipped them up in my magic bullet (you can also use a regular blender) with the juice of half a lime and a bit of honey. For the honey, I used about 3-4 tbsp. but you could always add more or less according to your taste preference.
Next, I added it to the sparkly water, which resulted in this really pretty pink fizz. If you’re visiting my blog, you probably have guessed that I love the colour pink, so a pink fizzy drink is right up my alley!
To up the prettiness and flavour factor even more (and use up more of the millions of strawberries in the fridge), I added some fresh strawberries to the mixture along with some fresh basil we had growing in our backyard.
And the result was stunning!
I let it sit in the fridge for about a half an hour to allow the flavours to intensify. This is highly recommended.
I also recommend giving it a really good stir before drinking, since the honey tends to drift to the bottom of the jug.
When I first took a sip, I couldn’t believe how delicious and refreshing it was!
Just imagine the amazing taste of freshly picked strawberries combined with a hint of lime and the refreshing smell and flavour of fresh basil.
That, my friends, is the definition of summer in a glass.
The best part is, even when you’re all finished drinking the amazing strawberry fizz, you can eat then EAT the remaining strawberries at the end! I even ate the basil!!
So it’s like a drink and a snack all in one.
BEST. DRINK. EVER.
So if you’re looking for a way to use up those strawberries, I suggest you whip up a batch of this amazing strawberry drink.
Like right now.
More similar recipes
- Watermelon Cucumber Spritzer
- Pretty Citrus, Cucumber & Mint Water
- Spiced Pomegranate Sparkler
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Yogurt
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Strawberry Mocktail Spritzer
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- Juice of half a lime
- 3-4 tbsp. honey or to taste
- 4 cups Perrier water or other unsweetened carbonated water
- Ice cubes
For garnish
- 1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Puree one cup of strawberries with the lime juice and honey in a blender or magic bullet.
- In a large pitcher, combine the strawberry mixture and Perrier water and mix very well to incorporate.
- Add fresh basil leaves and the remaining half cup of sliced strawberries and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes to allow flavours to combine.
- When ready to serve, add desired number of ice cubes to each glass.
- Give the mixture another good stir. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired. Serve cold.
Notes
- For the sweetener, I used about 3-4 tbsp of honey, but you can sub in your desired sweetener. Stevia can also be used if you wish to reduce the amount of added sugar. If you opt for honey or another liquid sweetener, I recommend starting with three tablespoons, tasting the drink and then adding more if desired to suit your personal taste preferences.
- I highly recommend letting the strawberry drink sit in the fridge for about half an hour to allow the flavours to intensify before serving.
- If you do allow it to sit, add the ice cubes to each individual glass right before serving to prevent the mixture from becoming too diluted. I also recommend giving it a really good stir before drinking, since the honey tends to drift to the bottom of the jug.
- To make a boozy strawberry slushy, use frozen strawberries and add desired alcohol.
- To get more juice out of your limes, roll and pressing the limes on a hard surface prior to slicing in half. This can help soften the flesh and make it easier to release the juices when you squeeze the limes. If the limes are really hard, you can also microwave them for 15 seconds to soften the rind and flesh, making them easier to juice.
Nutrition
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