This beautiful strawberry cocktail can be served with or without alcohol and is gorgeously colored and flavored by loads of fresh strawberries! Enjoy this drink as a refreshing summer mock/cocktail spiked with fresh mint or basil from the garden.
This strawberry cocktail is the ultimate summer sip! Pretty in pink strawberry puree is the base of this refreshing drink that's spiked with gin and fresh lemon juice, then finished with a splash of bubbly soda or sparkling water for effervescence.
You can easily make this strawberry drink into an alcohol-free mocktail or serve it as a punch at a spring party. Fresh mint leaves are a perfect garnish, or try basil for a summery twist. It's so easy to make and makes the most of the fruit season. Try a rhubarb gin and tonic, cranberry margarita, or homemade lemonade next!
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What You'll Love
- So refreshing. Sweet strawberries, bright, spicy mint, and sparkling water make this drink ultra cool and refreshing.
- Summery and pretty. This drink is sooooo good made with in-season, fresh strawberries and mint! If you've got some growing in the garden, all the better.
- Easy! See my notes lower down on how to make this drink even quicker if you don't want to use a food processor. Even if you do use a blender or food processor, though, it comes together literally in minutes.
Ingredients Needed
I've outlined what you'll need to make a strawberry cocktail below. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are included in the recipe card lower down.
- Gin - Use your preferred brand of gin, or try vodka.
- Strawberries - Fresh, in-season strawberries are best, but you can use frozen if needed.
- Honey - Or use maple syrup or sugar syrup.
- Lemon juice - The sweet-tartness of lemon balances the sweet strawberries. I also like to make this drink with lime juice.
- Soda water - Or your favorite sparkling water.
- Fresh mint - Swap basil for a slightly different flavor.
Make it a Mocktail
I'm not a drinker, but I still love indulging in this pretty drink. Instead of gin and soda water, I add the strawberry puree to lemon bubbly water (lime is nice, too, or you could even try strawberry or watermelon-flavored water). If you use lemon water, omit the lemon juice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of you'll make this drink:
1. Puree strawberries: Add strawberries, honey, and lemon juice to a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Make drinks: Divide the puree between 2 glasses, add ice, then add gin, soda water, and mint.
Tips & Variation Ideas
- Make ahead: The strawberry puree can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it so you can make this drink whenever you wish!
- Try other fruit! Any sort of fruit puree would be wonderful in place of the strawberries (of course, it would then become a cherry, or blackberry, or peach cocktail!).
- Add sparkling wine. If you want to add a bit more of an alcoholic punch, substitute the seltzer for sparkling wine.
- Make it a punch. I could see this beautiful drink in a big glass bowl full of ice and strawberry slices as a non-alcoholic punch perfect at a baby shower, sweet 16 birthday party, or kids' get-together! Multiply the quantities by as many servings as you think you may need, pour it all into a pretty bowl, add ice, and let your guests serve themselves.
- Swap in basil. Basil and strawberry are also a winner of a combo. Instead of the mint, try garnishing each drink with fresh basil leaves.
- Muddle it. If you are short on time, add 2 strawberries to a glass along with 1 teaspoon of honey and a few mint leaves. Then, use a spoon to muddle - this means to crush and stir - them together in the bottom of the glass until the strawberries are crushed and a bit liquid. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
Proper Storage
Here's how to store any leftover strawberry puree. The rest of the ingredients are easy and don't need to be stored!
- Fridge - Keep the strawberry puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer - Place the puree in a sealable, freezer-safe bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before using in the drink.
More Strawberry Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this strawberry cocktail recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Strawberry Cocktail
Ingredients
- 4 strawberries , tops cup off and halved
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- soda water
- 4 fresh mint leaves , roughly torn, or more to taste
- 3 ounces gin or vodka
Instructions
- Place 4 strawberries, 2 teaspoons honey, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a blender or food processor and puree until they're as liquefied as possible.
- Divide the purée between 2 glasses, add one shot of gin to each, and stir to combine. Add ice to glasses, then top each with soda water and a few of the 4 fresh mint leaves. If not using gin, you may increase both the quantity of the strawberry mixture and the sparkling water.
Notes
- Make ahead: The strawberry puree can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it so you can make this drink whenever you wish!
- Try other fruit! Any sort of fruit puree would be wonderful in place of the strawberries (of course, it would then become a cherry, or blackberry, or peach cocktail!).
- Add sparkling wine. If you want to add a bit more of an alcoholic punch, substitute the seltzer for sparkling wine.
- Make it a punch. I could see this beautiful drink in a big glass bowl full of ice and strawberry slices as a non-alcoholic punch perfect at a baby shower, sweet 16 birthday party, or kids' get-together! Multiply the quantities by as many servings as you think you may need, pour it all into a pretty bowl, add ice, and let your guests serve themselves.
- Swap in basil. Basil and strawberry are also a winner of a combo. Instead of the mint, try garnishing each drink with fresh basil leaves.
- Muddle it. If you are short on time, add 2 strawberries to a glass along with 1 teaspoon of honey and a few mint leaves. Then, use a spoon to muddle - this means to crush and stir - them together in the bottom of the glass until the strawberries are crushed and a bit liquid. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
art and lemons says
You are a very good friend indeed, this strawberry fizz sounds delightful and I too rarely make fancy nonalcoholic drinks resorting instead to water or overnight refrigerator tea with maybe a sprig of something from the garden. I need to fix that. As for those piano lessons, sounds like they paved the road for your writing practice and I bet you'll get a Christmas card from your piano teacher in the mail one of these years...
helen says
Lovely post...it made me nostalgic for all those days long ago. Descriptive and dripping with sentiment is your prose......just the thing for a Sunday afternoon.
Stefanie says
"sometimes what aches the most is that nostalgia for things past, for things we wished had happened, for something indefinable, for things we miss even if we never experienced them"
Could that possibly be the most beautiful words you've ever written? Made my heart tug and cry, and sing and soar, all at once.