Strawberry Lemonade

I think we've all had a glass of this at some point.

Someone needs to inform Panera Bread.

This morning on my way to work, I heard Panera's radio commercial for its latest summer feature: Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.  Which is of no interest to me considering I don't particularly like lemonade...or lemon anything.  But, what really bothered me (and many things do at 7:35 on a Monday morning) was that Panera acted as if they had invented strawberry lemonade.

Apparently, the "inspiration" (their words, not mine) for this frozen drink was last summer when they saw a Panera team member plopping strawberries into their lemonade.  And you want to know where this person got the idea from?  Maybe Disneyland?  Where they sell the Minute Maid frozen strawberry lemonades? Or maybe any restaurant that has lemonade on the menu?

How ummmm...inventive.

So this ad goes on and on about how amazing strawberries and lemons are together; the perfect pairing of sweet and tart.  And with just 2 more minutes left in my commute, I just about had it. 

And I decided to make it myself.

But not the frozen kind.  I don't have ice at home.  Something I'm working on.

So I started with some lemons.  7 to be exact.  Did I mention I don't really like lemons?  Like, at all?  They are just so so sourrrrr.  Blahh.  I can't even think about it.  And, juicing them!  Lemon juice makes my hands burn.  I know, I'm impossible sometimes.  But I have a new appreciation for kids that have their own lemonade stands. 

Then I added some strawberries and simple syrup.

Ok...3 cups of strawberries was a little much.  The puree was a little thick, but I'm sure quite healthy!

And I topped it off with some sparkling water for fancy-ness.

The verdict?  Homemade lemonade is super intense and lemony.  And pink.  I liked that.