Jump to my Strawberry Spritz Recipe

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Strawberry Simple Syrup

Simple syrup, dissolved sugar in water, is an easy way to add sweetness to a cold drink. If you take it a step further and make an infused simple syrup, you will be surprised how much flavor you can add too! Simple syrup‘s are quick and easy to make, and can be used in cocktails, coffee, added to sparkling water, or really anywhere you want to impart natural sweetness.

This recipe will make about 8 oz, and you only need 1 for the recipe so if you have some remaining, I suggest storing it in an airtight container. It should last approximately 2 weeks, give or take.

The remaining cooked strawberry left in the strainer is perfect for making strawberry bread or adding to a bowl of oatmeal.

Strawberry Spritz Ingredients

• Fresh Strawberries: Used to make an easy strawberry simple syrup and garnish.
• Granulated Sugar: A key ingredient in every simple syrup.
• Prosecco: Any dry sparkling wine will do, but I’m partial to Prosecco in a spritz.
• Sparkling Water: I prefer Topo Chico.
• Lime: A well-balanced cocktail should have a hint of acid.
• Basil: It’s just a sprig as a garnish, but I promise you can taste a subtle hint of herb.

Recommended Tools to Make a Strawberry Spritz Cocktail

• Fine Mesh Sieve | Your kitchen may already be stocked with a strainer, but if not you’ll need a fine mesh version to strain the strawberry seeds and pulp.
• Wine Glasses | My glasses need to be multi-functional, so I use these gorgeous, European-made red wine glasses for spritz’ too.
• Glass Bottle | You will have about 8 oz. of simple syrup so store what you don’t use in the fridge.

Strawberry Spritz Cocktail Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

STRAWBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup strawberries

COCKTAIL:

• 3 oz Prosecco
• 2 oz sparkling water
• 1 lime
• Spring of basil, for garnish
• 1 strawberry, for garnish

Directions

1. Place water, strawberries, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil
2. Simmer for 10 minutes and rough-mash strawberries with a wooden spoon or meat masher.
3. Turn off the heat and let strawberries cool to room temperature and syrup to thicken for about 25 minutes
4. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve.
5. Fill the glass ½ full with ice. Add prosecco, sparkling water, and 1 oz. of strawberry simple syrup.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lime, a sprig of basil, and a sliced strawberry.
7. Enjoy!

More pretty cocktails to try:

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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Jump to my GF DF Strawberry Bread Recipe

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What is Quick Bread?

According to Wikipedia, the 21st-century encyclopedia,

Quick bread is any bread leavened with a chemical leavening agent rather than a biological one like yeast or sourdough starter.

Wikipedia

Chemical leavening agents are things like baking powder and baking soda. The benefits of using these instead of yeast are that some people are sensitive to yeast (myself included) and they are quicker to make since you don’t need to wait for the yeast to rise.

Most banana bread is quick bread whereas your favorite baguette is made with yeast.

Ingredients Needed to Make DF GF Strawberry Bread

• Dairy-Free Milk – You can use any dairy-free milk (or cow’s milk if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free) but I like using almond milk to complement the almond extract. I recommend my easy vanilla homemade milk, but if you don’t have time for that then this is my favorite store-bought almond milk.
• Egg – This strawberry bread isn’t vegan because of the one egg in the recipe. People often substitute eggs with flax eggs so that may work but I haven’t tested it. If you make this recipe with a flax egg let me know how it turns out in the comments.
• Gluten-Free Flour – I have tested a lot of gluten-free flours for baking and by far my favorite is the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. It already includes the perfect amount of Xanthan Gum so it’s one less ingredient you need to buy, and Xanthan Gum gives gluten free baking elasticity and stickiness naturally found in gluten. I’m not celiac but if you are, you can rest assured knowing this flour is made in a separate dedicated facility to avoid cross-contamination. If you don’t need the bread to be gluten-free you can swap this out 1 for 1 with all-purpose flour.
• Strawberries – The star of the show is strawberries and you may be finding yourself making lots of strawberry recipes during strawberry season. If you make any of my strawberry cocktail recipes and have the remaining strawberries leftover from the strawberry simple syrup, you can use those instead of fresh diced strawberries in the glaze.
• Vegan Butter – I’ve tried quite a few vegan butters and I really like this one for baking. It has a great flavor, comes in sticks so measures easily, and melts well.

What Tools Do You Need to Make Strawberry Bread?

• Loaf Pan | A standard 9″x5″ non-stick loaf pan is what the recipe has been tested with.
• Resealable Bag | The easiest way to coat the strawberries in flour (to prevent dying the bread and having the strawberries sink to the bottom) is by tossing them in a reusable resealable bag.
• Measuring Cups | This metal set stacks and has a pouring spout.
• Measuring Spoons | You won’t necessarily need this feature for this recipe, but I love these spoons because they fit into spice jars.
• Cooling Rack | Place the bread on a rack so the entire loaf cools before glazing.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Strawberry Bread Recipe

Servings: 8

Ingredients

FOR THE BREAD:

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dairy-free milk
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced strawberries (about 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
• ⅓ cup finely diced strawberries
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 9″x5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, df milk, olive oil, egg, and almond extract.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. In a resealable bag, toss together the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries.
7. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter.
8. Pour the bread batter into the loaf pan.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
10. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted vegan butter, diced strawberries, and almond extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.
12. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread.
13. Slice and serve.

Recipe adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T 

More Very Obsessed Strawberry Recipes:

• Spiked Strawberry Lemonade
• Strawberry Champagne
• Strawberry Vodka Gimlet

If you like this recipe, check out my GF DF Lemon Loaf too!

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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Jump to my Spiked Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail Recipe

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Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Lemonade also happens to be one of my mom’s favorite drinks so I grew up on this stuff. But as a typical child from the 80s with two working parents, making things from scratch was not what my mom was spending her free time doing. So the powdered drink mix was all I knew, and it was good. A little older, a little wiser, things are more convenient and I’ve learned how to make a strawberry lemonade from scratch that is quick and easy and I can control what goes into it.

The vodka gets added into the recipe separately so this is the perfect summer cocktail if you have non-drinkers in your group. The strawberry lemonade on its own is fantastic, organic where we can be but this isn’t the time to skimp on the sugar.

When I think about strawberry lemonade, I think about drinking it with someone (do people pour lemonade just for themselves?), so the recipe was developed to make a pitcher of strawberry lemonade. If you are wanting to only make one or two glasses then feel free to divide the recipe, but you’ll want a glass bottle to store the remaining strawberry simple syrup.

Enjoy!

Recommended Tools to Make Spiked Strawberry Lemonade

• Glass Pitcher | I used a mixing pitcher but I love this handled glass pitcher to make it easier to pour. And you might as well use glass to see the gorgeous cocktail.
• Fine Mesh Strainer | You’ll need a mesh strainer to make the strawberry simple syrup. You probably have one already, but if not this long handle version is useful.

Spiked Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups organic sugar
• 4 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 lb. organic strawberries
• 3 organic lemons
• 1 1/2 cups vodka
• Ice

Directions

1. Clean, hull, and cut strawberries in half
2. Add strawberries, sugar, and 1.5 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil
3. While boiling, rough mash strawberries with the back of a wooden spoon (or you can use a potato masher)
4. Once strawberries are mashed, turn off the heat and let strawberries cool to room temperature and syrup to thicken; this will take about 25 minutes
5. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the syrup through leaving the strawberry bits in the sieve
6. Fill the pitcher up about halfway with ice. Add remaining water, juice from the lemons (about 5 oz), strawberry simple syrup, and stir.
7. Add ice to drinking glasses, pour 2 oz of vodka, and top with strawberry lemonade

Tips:

• I like to save the strawberry bits to use in different things, strawberry bread being one of my favorite. Let me know in the comments if you’d like a recipe post for that.
• This strawberry simple syrup is a similar recipe to what is in the Strawberry Gimlet, but it’s a more robust strawberry flavor to stand up to the lemon. If you have some leftover feel free to use, but in all, you’ll want to have about 2 cups of strawberry simple syrup.
• If you don’t drink all the strawberry lemonade, transfer it to a glass bottle with lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (do the sniff test to be certain though)

More summer cocktail recipes to try:

• Pimm’s Cup
• Strawberry Mint Champagne Cocktail
• Frozen Mango Margarita

If you like lemon, make sure to check out my Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lemon Loaf Recipe

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Spiked Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

One such drink I discovered was Pimm’s Cup, and it’s so light, refreshing, and easy to make. It’s a drink that has stuck with me and I now make it at home.

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

Who is Pimm’s and what’s in his cup?

As the story goes, a British man named James Pimm developed Pimm’s No.1 to serve at his bar in the mid-1800s. Gin-based and made with botanicals, the exact ingredients of Pimm’s No. 1 is still a secret to this day, and although gin-based it does not have an overwhelming gin flavor profile. At one point there were up to 6 Pimm’s elixirs (each number with a different base, No.1 being gin and No. 6 being vodka), but all have been phased out except the original, Pimm’s No. 1.

While exactly what goes into a Pimm’s Cup can vary by recipe, it always starts with Pimm’s No.1, is topped off with clear soda, and includes some sort of fruit garnish. I kind of like to think of it as an English sangria in the way that you get to drink the delicious cocktail, and then have the fruit at the end as a cherry (or strawberry) on top.

Clearly, it was popular in the mid-1800s and it had a resurgence with the Wimbledon crowd once the first Pimm’s bar opened at the tournament in the 70s. Even if you aren’t a tennis fan, Pimm’s Cup is a delightfully refreshing summer cocktail.

Enjoy!

Recommended Tools to Make Pimm’s Cup

• Metal Straw | By this point we all know that plastic straws are bad for the environment, right? We can do better. I love using metal straws since paper gets soggy and glass has the potential to break. And when it’s a metal straw for a cold drink, even better as the drink gets cooler as it transports through the straw. These are very affordable, come with a straw cleaner, their own pouch (handy for storage), and a quality 18/8 stainless steel (don’t want rust to get on your straw now do you?).

Pimm’s Cup Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Pimm’s No. 1
• 4 oz. ginger beer
• squeeze of lemon
• Strawberry (garnish)
• Cucumber (garnish)
• Ice

Directions

1. Fill highball (tall) glass 3/4 of the way full with ice
2. Add sliced cucumber and strawberry garnish to the glass
3. Add Pimm’s No. 1, ginger beer, and a squeeze of lemon (about 1 tsp)
4. Mix with a metal straw

Tips:

• I like to get a high-quality ginger beer that has real ginger in it and no artificial flavor or sweeteners, Fever-Tree is my favorite.
• A common substitution for ginger beer is lemon soda (must be carbonated). Fever-Tree makes a lemon soda (can you tell I love their mixers) but it can be tricky to find, so stock up if you can. Otherwise, San Pellegrino Limonata is more readily available.
• Another substitution for ginger beer is a lemon-lime soda like Sprite, a little too sweet for me, but you may like it.

More cocktails to try:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Strawberry Mint Champagne Cocktail

Frozen Mango Margarita

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

Pin this post and save for later!

The post Pimm’s Cup Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is a Gimlet?

Traditionally, a gimlet is a cocktail made of gin and lime juice. Um…is this what Snoop was singing about back in the day? With my mind on my money and my money on my mind. Nope, it was a different juice, but very Snoop adjacent.

Many people substitute the gin for vodka, similar to a martini (traditionally made with gin but many get it made with vodka instead, myself included).

Since a Gimlet tastes substantially better with sweetened lime juice, the easiest way to make a gimlet is with Rose’s Lime Juice. No judgment from me, that’s how I started too, but I highly advise stepping it up a notch and use fresh lime juice and homemade simple syrup for the best tasting and clean ingredients. Lime juice is not necessarily where I choose to get my high fructose corn syrup in.

The modern-day gimlet is vodka or gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. That’s it. And it’s delicious as is, but also makes for a pretty delicious base too. One of my all-time favorites to order out is the Emerald Gimlet at Beauty & Essex. It’s a basil gin gimlet so I took the basil from that, added it to the strawberry syrup, and LOVED the result. Enjoy!

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Cocktail Shaker | Since I’m an at-home bartendress, I like to keep it simple with a Cobbler shaker, which is to say it’s a shaker with a built-in strainer and lid. All-in-one. The more profesh, as you often see while out, is the Boston Shaker which is essentially two separate tins that fit together, you shake, and then use a separate strainer. Not only are there more components, but you also risk a leak if you don’t get that seal just right. On the flip side, it’s pretty baller to be profesh at home. If that sounds like you, check out this Boston set. I haven’t tried it, but apparently, it is the gold standard of Boston shakers.
• Coupe Glasses | I live in the city with not much storage space, and I hate clutter, so multifunction is great for me. I use coupe glasses for gimlets, martinis, champagne…basically anything not on the rocks and not wine. For a gimlet, I much prefer coupes over martini glasses. They don’t spill as much, and since they hold about 6oz instead of 8oz, you can finish your cocktail before it gets warm. However…try these if you are still attached to the martini glass, the same quality brand as my coupes and wine glasses.
• Glass Bottle | You will have about 8oz of simple syrup so you are going to want to store what you don’t use in the fridge. I only had a mason jar when I made this for the champagne cocktail recipe, but the flip top is much more my vibe.

Strawberry Vodka Gimlet Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 6 organic strawberries (optional 1 more to garnish)
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 2 oz vodka (I prefer Grey Goose)
• 1 organic lime
• 3 organic basil leaves

Directions

1. Place water, strawberries, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil
2. When boiling, rough mash strawberries with the back of a wooden spoon (or you can use a potato masher)
3. Once strawberries are mashed, turn off the heat and let strawberries cool to room temperature and syrup to thicken for about 25 minutes
4. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the syrup through leaving the strawberry bits in the sieve
5. Add ice, vodka, 3/4 oz strawberry simple syrup, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, and two basil leaves to a cocktail shaker
6. Option to garnish the glass with a lime wheel

 Tips

• Skip the first 3 ingredients and the first 4 steps if you have Strawberry Simple Syrup remaining from a previous time making it.
• Pour the remaining simple syrup into a glass container and store it in the fridge for up to a month.

More cocktails to try:

Frozen Mango Margarita

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Strawberry Mint Champagne Cocktail

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

Pin this post and save for later!

The post Strawberry Vodka Gimlet Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

How to Make Pink Champagne

Naturally occurring Rosé champagne gets its color from the skin of the grapes. Basically, your typical white champagne gets mixed with a small (around 15) percentage of still red wine, and like magic, you have rosé.

I say typical, somewhat in jest, because since Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France, typical is somewhat of a relative term. Yes, this is a Champagne cocktail recipe, but I’m actually making this with sparkling wine, shocking I know! But there are so many options for great sparkling wines and because we are adding ingredients to it I don’t think it necessary to buy the ‘best’ quality.

Now, this is where it gets interesting, the pink part of the champagne comes from the homemade strawberry simple syrup. If you’ve ever had a strawberry bellini you know there will be pulp, love it or hate it. With strawberry simple syrup there is no pulp and just a touch of sweetness to counterbalance the dry champagne (make sure you get Brut).

The syrup will stay fresh in the fridge for about a month and can be used for other cocktails (I’ve got another one coming next month). Or just mix a little with some Topo Chico and have a delightful mocktail.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Coupe Glasses | I like to drink both champagne (and champagne cocktails) and martinis out of coupe glasses. Coupes are so much better than martini glasses, in my opinion, since they don’t spill as much, and since they hold about 6oz instead of 8oz, you can finish your cocktail before it gets warm. And a broad bowl vs a narrow flute for Champagne really lets you enjoy every aspect of the sparkling beverage (let’s not forget the Champagne is a type of wine after all). I’m all about reducing clutter, so being able to have one glass instead of two…count me in! However…if you are still attached to the flute, this is a good set to buy.
• Glass Bottle | You will have about 8oz of simple syrup so you are going to want to store that in the fridge. I only had a mason jar when I made this so that’s what I used, but now that this is a go-to recipe, the flip top is much more my vibe.

Strawberry Mint Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 6 organic strawberries (optional 1 more to garnish)
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 6 oz Brut Champagne
• 3 organic mint leaves

Directions

1. Place water, strawberries, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil
2. When boiling, rough mash strawberries with the back of a wooden spoon (or you can use a potato masher)
3. Once strawberries are mashed, turn off the heat and let strawberries cool to room temperature and syrup to thicken for about 25 minutes
4. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the syrup through leaving the strawberry bits in the sieve
5. Pour 1 oz of the strawberry simple syrup into a glass
6. Top with Champagne, coupes will take about 6 oz
7. Rub mint leaves on lip and place in the cocktail
8. Option to garnish the glass with sliced strawberries

 Tips

• By rubbing the mint leaves to the lip of the glass you will be adding mint oil and you will get a hint of mint; if you want a more robust mint flavor add some mint leaves to the strawberries, water, and sugar while cooling to make a strawberry mint simple syrup.
• Pour the remaining simple syrup in a glass container and store in the fridge for up to a month.

More cocktails to try:

Frozen Mango Margarita

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Apple Cider Martini

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Strawberry Mint Champagne Cocktail Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.