With spring weather quickly approaching, it's time to return to our beloved iced lemonades and refreshers. This simple lemonade recipe can be transformed into any drink of your summer poolside dreams, making you feel like a professional barista. Whether you're in the mood for strawberry mint lemonade or a spin-off on Starbucks' Very Berry Hibiscus, here's how to make the perfect herbal lemonade just in time for spring.

Herbal Lemonade

lemon, juice, citrus, lemonade
Jocelyn Hsu

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes 

Serving Size: 8 

Ingredients 

6 lemons 

1 cup of sugar 

1 cup of water 

Optional ingredients for herbal lemonade: basil, mint, thyme, and/or rosemary 

Optional ingredients for fruit-infused lemonade: peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries

Directions: 

1. Cut all 6 lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a pitcher. 

2. Measure one cup of warm water and one cup of sugar.

3. Pour the sugar and water into a large glass. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved to create a simple syrup.

4. Once dissolved, pour the sugar-water into the pitcher.

5. Stir all ingredients in the pitcher together to create your lemonade.

For herbal lemonade:

Using whichever combination and amount of herbs of your choosing (basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, etc.), finely chop or grind them with a mortar and pestle. Add the herbs to the lemonade and stir together. 

For fruit lemonade:

Using whichever fruit of your choosing, puree the fruit with water in a blender to create a juice. Then add the juice to your lemonade for a fruit-infused drink. To add even more pizzazz to your drink, add fruit slices or berries as a garnish.

Beverage, drink, alcohol and cocktail | HD photo by PTMP (@ladysaturday) on Unsplash

Unsplash on Unsplash

For a sweet lemon-infused tea that will be the best pick-me-up you ever had, mix your lemonade with green or black tea. Check out this recipe to create your very own green tea lemonade just like a Starbuck's barista. Not only can this lemonade just be a drink, but you can also freeze it to make delicious snacks. From popsicles to Italian ices, this lemonade embraces the spring weather and promises to help you keep your cool.

So whether you love a classic lemonade or are in the mood to try something new, this drink will be a springtime staple. The beauty of this recipe is that it allows you to create a new drink each day, perfectly customized to your favorite flavors. This is your golden opportunity to fulfill your barista dreams!