Sarah's Citrus Spritzer

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Servings: 16
Yield: 16 servings

Description

This refreshing homemade citrus spritzer recipe is from Florida and has the perfect balance of zing and sweet.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, or to taste
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
12 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
ice, as needed
2 liters seltzer water, chilled

Directions

1 Bring sugar, water, lemon zest, orange zest, and basil to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and allow simple syrup to cool, 15 to 30 minutes.
2 Pour lemon juice and orange juice into a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix®). Add strawberries and simple syrup. Blend on low speed (1), then slowly increase speed to high (10) and blend until pureed, about 45 seconds.
3 For each drink, fill an old fashioned glass with ice. Pour 1/4 cup strawberry puree over top and fill with seltzer water.