recipe: basil lemonade

My parents have a Meyer lemon tree. I am a very lucky lady, I know. They always give me bags of lemons whenever I see them (which is frequently, due to me possessing their only grandchild), since I love to start the day with hot water and lemon juice. However, this recent hot weather has turned me off to hot drinks, so I decided to try something new with my recent batch of lemons. My basil lemonade experiment was a resounding success - the basil makes it extra refreshing. Here's the recipe. The basil lemon syrup recipe can be found after the jump.

Basil Lemonade

Makes 6 cups

2 cups basil-lemon syrup (recipe after the jump)

2 cups squeezed lemon juice (retain lemon rinds for syrup recipe)

2 cups cold water

Sugar to taste (if using lemons other than Meyer)

Combine ingredients except sugar in pitcher with ice. Adjust proportions to taste. If using regular lemons, stir in additional sugar to taste if desired. 

Basil Lemon Syrup

2 cups water*

1 cup white sugar

1.5 cups firmly packed basil sprigs

3+ lemons rinds, after juice squeezed out for lemonade

Combine all ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until water is simmering and sugar is fully dissolved. Turn off heat and let contents sit for at least one hour. Strain solids, squeezing liquid through mesh strainer. Chill throughly. 

*for thicker, traditional simple syrup, use 1 cup water.