Strawberry Vanilla Bean Sparkling Lemonade
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup maple sugar
- 1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries
- 1 vanilla bean, cut in half, beads removed with the back of a knife
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/2 cup sparkling water
- extra strawberries, to garnish
- lemon slices, to garnish
- In a medium saucepan, place the water, maple sugar, strawberries, the beads from the vanilla bean that are removed with a knife, then add the vanilla bean pod into the saucepan. Place over medium heat and let simmer for no longer than 10 minutes. Remove vanilla bean pod.
- Place mixture in a blendtec and blend until smooth. Then add lemon juice and lemon zest and blend for a couple seconds. Pour mixture through a strainer into a bowl then add sparkling water and stir.
- Pour sparkling lemonade mixture into glasses filled with ice and garnish with strawberries and lemon slices. Drink up!