Italian Lemonade

During the spring and summer I LOVE lemons and I love basil. Well this recipe is actually a combination of both! Its a lemonade with a basil simple syrup. I think it adds a zing to your everyday lemonade. I saw this on Everyday Italian with Giada. I LOVE that show too! The thing about simple syrup is that I prefer to make my own. Mainly because I can control the amount of sugar going into it. There's always a battle of how to correctly make it, but I think it all depends on how sweet you want it. This recipe uses a 2:1 ratio sugar to water. If its too sweet then just make it 1:1 ratio.

Ingredients
2 cups lemon juice, about 12 to 15 lemons
2 cups Basil Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 cups cold or sparkling water
Ice
Lemon twists, for garnish


Directions
Mix lemon juice, Basil Simple Syrup, and water together in a pitcher. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Pour over ice filled glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.
Basil Simple Syrup:
1 bunch fresh basil, washed and stemmed
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

In a saucepan combine basil, sugar, and water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes. Cool, strain the simple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.