Make your own sparkling pink lemonade, with freshly squeezed lemons and homemade strawberry raspberry syrup, for an unforgettable summer cocktail or punchbowl.
Place strawberries, raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a sauce pan and heat over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low boil/high simmer and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes, until mixture becomes syrupy. Stir occasionally. Berries should be pretty much liquified.
Strain mixture well through fine mesh strainer, pressing syrup out of berries. Allow berry syrup to cool at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
When ready to serve, pour seltzer water and vodka into a gallon pitcher, add 2 to 3 cups of ice and stir.
Pour berry syrup into pitcher and stir well. Serve over ice.
Garnish with berries, lemon slices, or mint sprigs. Makes 16 one cup servings including ice.
Notes
Non-alcoholic version: Replace vodka with the same amount of additional seltzer or plain water.
Fresh or frozen berries may be used to make berry syrup.
Berry syrup can be made up to a week ahead. It can be used to make individual drinks or a pitcher.