Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
With a mix of strawberry lemonade and sparkling champagne, you can skip the crowed at Mimi’s Cafe and make this sparkling strawberry lemonade copycat at home!
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Jump to What You Need
- About Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
- What’s in Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade?
- Can you use fresh lemons?
- What type of sparkling champagne should you use?
- What can be used in place of champagne?
- Can you make this in advance?
- How long is it good for?
- More fun drink recipes
- Other great recipes with lemon
- How to make sparkling strawberry lemonade
- Recipe Details
About Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
This spot-on copycat sparkling strawberry lemonade brings together the best of both worlds: the flavors of a restaurant experience and the savings of a DIY approach.
Originally a staple at brunch favorites like Mimi’s Cafe, the drink is as classy as it is versatile. Crafted from a deceptively simple blend of homemade strawberry lemonade and sparkling champagne, it’s a bubbly treat that elevates any meal, be it French toast or a savory steak dinner.
What’s in Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade?
Before you can serve up an eye-catching pitcher of this fruity bubbly, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients:
- Water: The base for your lemonade, it dilutes the other ingredients to create a balanced flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the lemonade, counteracting the tartness of the lemon juice.
- Lemon Juice: Provides the tart, citrusy kick that’s essential for any lemonade.
- Lemon Zest: Enhances the lemon flavor, adding a bit of complexity and depth.
- Strawberries: These are pureed to add a fruity, summery twist to the traditional lemonade. The “hulled” part means the green tops are removed.
- Sparkling Champagne: Adds effervescence and a touch of sophistication. Freixenet Cordon Negro is a specific recommendation, known for its crisp, clean bubbles.
Can you use fresh lemons?
Yes! In fact, squeezing lemons for fresh lemon juice is recommended for homemade lemonade.
You can get about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice from each lemon. This recipe requires 1 cup of lemon juice, so you’d need about 5-8 large lemons total.
What type of sparkling champagne should you use?
Originally I thought the difficult part would be to hunt down a good (and reasonably priced) sparkling champagne, but turns out it was pretty easy.
As luck would have it, I was able to track down the exact same brand that Mimi’s Cafe uses: Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut.
Freixenet sells the standard bottle size (750ml), but they also sell “individual” sized bottles (187ml) that are fun to serve at parties.
What can be used in place of champagne?
You could omit the sparkling champagne completely and just enjoy the strawberry lemonade by itself. If the drink seems too sweet, you can always add a tad more water to dilute it a bit.
You can also add a dash of vodka or rum. I’d recommend about 1/2 cup total of these spirits.
But if you’d like your drink to have the bubbles without the booze, you could use club soda or even lemon-lime soda in place of the champagne.
Can you make this in advance?
Yes, you totally can!
For best results, I’d recommend making the strawberry lemonade base within one to two days before you intend to serve it. Strawberry lemonade can be stored in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: For best results, always wait to add the sparkling champagne to each glass as the drink is served. Do not store the strawberry lemonade with the champagne already mixed in.
How long is it good for?
Once prepared, the strawberry lemonade base can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered pitcher for up to 5-7 days.
More fun drink recipes
Other great recipes with lemon
How to make sparkling strawberry lemonade
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a medium saucepan, cook water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, then give the mixture a good stir. Remove the saucepan from heat and let it cool completely, about 20 minutes. Once cooled, pour finished lemonade through a strainer to remove lemon zest.
Step 2 – While lemon mixture cools, add strawberries to a food processor and pulse it a few times until strawberries are broken down. You can either use the strawberries as-is OR you can strain the mixture to remove any excess pulp and seeds.
Step 3 – In your favorite pitcher, add cooled lemonade and pureed strawberries, then mix well. For best results, let strawberry lemonade cool in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
Step 4 – When ready to drink, fill a glass with 1/3 to 1/2 of the strawberry lemonade, then top off with some sparkling champagne.
Step 5 – Serve and enjoy!
Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled, plus more for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add water and sugar and bring to a steady boil. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.3 cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Quickly add lemon juice and lemon zest, stir, and then remove from heat. Let mixture cool completely, about 20 minutes. Once cooled, pour mixture through a mesh strainer to remove lemon zest.1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 cup lemon juice
- While lemon water cools, add strawberries to a food processor and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. If desired, strain strawberry puree through a mesh strainer to remove seeds and thicker pulp.2 cups strawberries
- In a pitcher of your choice, pour in strawberry puree and lemon juice mixture, then stir to combine.
- Place pitcher in refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.
- To serve, fill your chosen glasses up to 1/3-1/2 with strawberry lemonade, then top off with sparkling champagne. Garnish glasses with more fresh cut strawberries (optional)750 milliliters sparkling champagne
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.