Ingredients:

  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup superfine sugar
  • 1/2 cup cold filtered water
  • 1.5 cups vodka
  • 1/2 cup sparkling water
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 4 fresh mint sprigs

Instructions:

  1. Place your 1 lb of hulled and halved strawberries into a large bowl. Pour the 3/4 cup of superfine sugar over them and toss gently. Let this sit for 15 minutes until the berries look glossy and sit in a pool of syrup. This is where the magic happens. Use a wooden spoon to lightly press down on the berries halfway through to encourage more juice release.
  2. Add the 1 cup of fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup of cold filtered water to the strawberry mixture. Stir vigorously until the sugar is completely invisible. At this point, the liquid should be a deep, saturated pink.
  3. Set your fine mesh sieve over your large glass pitcher. Pour the strawberry and lemon mixture through the sieve. Use the back of a spoon to press the solids until the strawberry pulp looks dry and pale. Discard the solids (or save them for yogurt!).
  4. Pour the 1.5 cups of vodka into the pitcher and stir well. If you are serving a crowd later, stop here and refrigerate. If serving now, add the 1/2 cup of sparkling water. Stir gently until just combined to preserve the bubbles.
  5. Fill six glasses with fresh ice. Drop a lemon round into each glass and pour the cocktail over the top. Slap a mint sprig against your palm to release the oils and tuck it into the side of the glass. The aroma as you take that first sip is just as important as the flavor itself.