As summer approaches, it's time once again to experiment with making "drank" for cookouts and picnics, so I like to work soft drink alchemy by tarting up common Kool-Aid and making it palatable as more than mere sugar water for kiddies. My preferred flavor is usually grape, but I recently tried strawberry and enjoyed it very much. It has a strong and tasty artificial berry flavor, but its resemblance to the taste of real strawberries can be elevated by adding concentrated lemon juice when you do the mixing.
Per gallon container — I recommend repurposing an empty gallon jug of bottled water — pour in half a container of Kool-Aid, meaning enough powdered mix to fill the Kool-Aid container's measuring lid (which is stated as approximately 2 quarts inside the lid), and concentrated lemon juice to individual taste. Seal the gallon container and give the powder and lemon juice a good shake to mix. Next, dice a half-pound of fresh organic strawberries and add them into the jug. Shake again. Then fill the remaining space with water, seal, and shake again. Taste the result and add or subtract water or powder to taste, then allow the result to sit in the fridge for a day or two, thus allowing the fresh strawberries to infuse the liquid. Trust me, it's delicious, especially when served over ice cubes and imbibed through one of the big straws that can be stolen in bunches from your local Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits.
And I'm curious to see which liquors would work well if one wanted to "Irish it up..." (I recommend lashings of good tequila for the crafting of a "Strawberry Puta." The name says it all.)
