This easy and refreshing strawberry whiskey lemonade is perfect for summertime! A sweet and refreshing whiskey cocktail drink with homemade strawberry simple syrup.
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We’ve been home for almost a week now, but I’m somehow still stuck in vacation mode. Usually after being gone for a while, I’m ready to hop right back into work without missing a beat. But this week, I’ve been more like “hmm. I answered two emails this morning. That means I get to watch Netflix now, right?”
So naturally, to reward myself for all the things I’ve procrastinated on with completely new levels of laziness totally accomplished this week, I made myself (and you!) a drink.
THIS drink ⬆⬇. With whiskey. And strawberries. And lemon. And WHISKEY. (Did I say whiskey already? Because WHISKEY).
EASY STRAWBERRY WHISKEY LEMONADE
This strawberry whiskey lemonade is a new twist on my popular Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade recipe – and to be honest, I might even like this version more than the original (GASP! INTRIGUE!)
Strawberries just make everything BETTER. (You’ve seen the name of my blog…right?) Their light, fruity flavor is the perfect complement to some fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a generous dose of rich, smokey whiskey.
The finished cocktail has just enough strawberry flavor to be interesting without being too heavy, which makes it perfect for summertime. It’s light and refreshing, with a homemade strawberry simple syrup, and (BONUS!) you can have these drinks ready to go in just half an hour or so.
HOW TO MAKE THIS STRAWBERRY WHISKEY LEMONADE
- To make the strawberry syrup in a small saucepan stir together the strawberries, sugar, and water. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook stirring occasionally until strawberries have softened and sugar has dissolved.
- Strain the cold syrup into a bowl, then combine it with the whiskey, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake to combine!
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
The simple syrup stores well in the fridge, so it’s easy to prep everything a few days in advance if you want to be able to throw these cocktails together at a moment’s notice.
You can store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for easy drink assembly when you’re ready to serve! And if you plan on hosting larger parties, mix the simple syrup and lemon juice in a pitcher. Then, serve on the bar with ice, sliced lemons, and an assortment of spirits for your guests to mix their cocktail of choice.
ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- If fresh strawberries aren’t in season, you can swap those for frozen strawberries.
- You could also use different berries if you like (or a berry combo a la these Triple Berry Margaritas).
- Additionally, you can add fresh basil or thyme to the shaker to give these cocktails an earthy twist.
- You can use any whiskey you like here, but some of your favorites are: Four Roses, Maker’s Mark, Elijah Craig.
- While we love the depth of flavor that whiskey brings to this lemonade, we also love this recipe with vodka, gin, tequila, rum, or bourbon.
So, to sum up:
If you like strawberries.
If you like whiskey.
If you like summertime.
If you were super productive this week and deserve a drink.
(…orrrrrr if your name is Jessie and you accomplished zero work things of actual importance but are just going to embrace it and drink anyway *raises own hand*).
Make yourself this strawberry whiskey lemonade.
MORE REFRESHING DRINKS TO TRY:
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Strawberry Whiskey Lemonade
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 Cocktails 1x
Description
Easy and refreshing strawberry whiskey lemonade with quick strawberry simple syrup, whiskey of choice and lemon juice!
Ingredients
FOR THE STRAWBERRY SYRUP:
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
TO ASSEMBLE THE COCKTAILS:
- ⅓ cup strawberry syrup (see above)
- ⅔ cup whiskey
- ⅔ cup lemon juice
- (optional) fresh strawberries and lemon slices, for garnish
Instructions
FOR THE STRAWBERRY SYRUP:
- Stir together strawberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Bring strawberry mixture to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until strawberries have softened and sugar has dissolved, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain syrup into a bowl or measuring cup through a mesh strainer to remove the strawberry pieces. Save strawberries for smoothies or jam later in the week!
TO ASSEMBLE THE COCKTAILS:
- In a large shaker, combine strawberry syrup, whiskey, and lemon juice. Add a handful of ice and shake to combine.
- Pour whiskey lemonade over ice into drinking glasses. Garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
Top each drink with a splash of tonic water or club soda if you’d like to stretch the drinks a bit or lighten them up.
The simple syrup in this recipe makes plenty of syrup for these drinks. If you have extra strawberry syrup, use it for additional cocktails or in smoothies and salad dressings. Leftover syrup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so.
If fresh strawberries aren’t in season, frozen strawberries are fine to use in this recipe.
Add some fresh basil or thyme to the shaker to give these cocktails an earthy twist.
I don’t like especially sweet drinks, so this is a fairly tart cocktail. If you’d like to make it a little sweeter, add an extra drizzle of the simple syrup! Want an even brighter note of lemon? Add some extra lemon juice. Everyone’s taste buds are different, so feel free to play around with the ratios until you have a balance you love.
If your cocktail shaker is on the smaller side, you may want to mix these cocktails in two batches.
Please drink responsibly.
Nutrition
- Calories: 211
I just made it for Friendsgiving (very small and socially distant) and it was a hit!! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thanks, Kels! We’re so happy it was a hit!
This was really good with some Jack Daniels Honey whiskey! Thanks for sharing.
Hi John – Thank You!
The recipe is fantastic huge hit on Sumer party! Everyone loved it def a “house special” but be warned it takes quite a long time to make the drinks ur going to miss out on a Lot of the party if u host one by the pool! Need to make one with proper conversions for a large quality! That sucked
Drink itself, amazing as hell yes girl
★★★★★
Hi! This recipe sounds great. I actually have a bottle of Monin strawberry syrup that I’m trying to use up. Could you tell me how much syrup to use if we already have it ready made?
I’m not familiar with Monin syrup so I can’t say for sure, but you can definitely give it a try! I’d recommend just adding a bit at a time and tasting as you go until it tastes right!
This is an awesome summertime drink. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Debi – isn’t it lovely?! So refreshing!
So excited to make this for a bachelorette party!
Is it lemon juice or lemonade that you used? I wanted to make sure.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Diana! Just lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled are both fine!)
I would love to make a gallon, do u think it would be ok if so do u have the conversations?
Hi Bonnie! I don’t have the conversions handy, but the ratio is just 1:2:2 (syrup:whiskey:lemon juice) so you can definitely scale up to get a gallon!
I just made this and I think it is amazing would deff give it a ★★★★★ Star ratings and it would be awesome as a non alcoholic beverage as well♥♥
★★★★★
Thanks, Kayla! I’m so glad you liked it!
What kind of whiskey did you use?
We’ve done this with a variety of whiskeys and bourbons – use whatever you like to drink! Bushmills, Jack, Bulleit, Four Roses, or Jameson are all good choices. It also tastes good with cheaper varieties if you don’t want to dip into your regular whiskey/bourbon collection. Hope that helps!
I can’t wait to make these!!!!!
Thanks, Michelle! I hope you like them!
Your whiskey/bourbon recipes look delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing all of them!
Thank you so much, Lisa! I’m so happy you like them!
Beautiful pictures! Clearly I need to have this in my life. Thanks for the delicious recipe! I can’t wait to give it a try.
Thank you so much, Paula!