This strawberry thyme cocktail is made with fresh strawberry simple syrup, lemon juice and a touch of thyme.
Nothing is better than a cold refreshing drink on a Friday afternoon at 5:00, am I right?!
Happy Friiiiday everyone! Today is my birthday and I am bringing you one of my favorite birthday drinks - a strawberry thyme cocktail with vodka! I haven’t posted an alcohol drink yet on MWM, so why not start on my birthday!?
Sean and I were up north last weekend and I got a drink similar to this one and I was in love with it! Unfortunately, my wallet didn't like it as much. I knew I could make it at home and why not save money by having happy hour in our own backyard?
It’s funny. Now that I work from home you would think that I wouldn’t have a problem with working whatever hour of the day… but nope! Friday afternoons still hit me hard like they did when I was in the office. My concentration goes out the window and all I want to do is socialize and get out of the house.
Ingredients in this Vodka Strawberry Cocktail
Before you jump down to the bottom of the page, let me explain a little bit about this vodka drink recipe. I used white sugar. If you don't want to use white sugar you can use Truvia, which is a manufactured sugar that is made from the stevia plant. Truvia does have stevia plant extract, but it also contains sugar and erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found in numerous food items such as protein bars, whiteclaws, etc…
I happened to have some Truvia left in my cabinet and tried it again with this recipe and it tasted great. I typed out the nutritional information on it and it came out to about 77 calories per drink. This would make this a lower calorie vodka drink.
How to Make Strawberry Simple Syrup
Whoever came up with the name simple syrup wasn’t kidding. It really is just that simple. A traditional simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio. However, this recipe is half cup sugar to 1 cup water because the sugar from the strawberries helps to sweeten up the syrup naturally.
First, place the diced strawberries in a pot with 1 cup of water over medium high heat. Once the water starts to simmer, add in the sugar and stir. The sugars in the strawberries will start to break down and the added sugar will dissolve in 10 minutes. Let the syrup sit for 5 minutes to allow it to thicken up a bit.
Once the syrup is finished, place it in the fridge to cool down while you prep the other ingredients. The good news is the strawberry simple syrup will be good for 2-3 weeks in the fridge. Try it on yogurt or oatmeal too!
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Strawberry Thyme Cocktail with Vodka
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 drinks 1x
Description
This strawberry thyme cocktail is made with fresh strawberry simple syrup, lemon juice and a touch of thyme. Make it a lower calorie cocktail by following the directions under the notes sections below the recipe.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
2 cups water, divided
1 cup strawberries, diced
1 lemon, juiced
Handful of thyme sprigs
4 shots of vodka
Extra strawberries for garnish
Instructions
- Start by making the simple syrup. In a pot over medium high heat, add 1 cup of water and the diced strawberries.
- Once the water and strawberries start to simmer, add the sugar. Stir to combine and turn the heat down to a low simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let the syrup sit for 5 minutes and thicken. Once cooled, strain the syrup to remove the cooked strawberries.
- While the syrup is cooling, juice the lemon and mix it with 1 cup of cold water.
- For one drink: Place ice cubes in cup until full, add 1 shot of vodka, 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry syrup and ¼ cup of lemon juice. Stir to combine and place thyme sprig on top.
- Optional garnish with fresh strawberries.
Notes
If you wish for carbonation: add lemon juice to carbonated water.
If you want to use a substitute sugar like Truvia or Splenda, it will lower the calories (1 drink=77 calories) and replace the white sugar with the substitute sugar for the syrup. The nutritional panel will look different from the one below.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Drinks, alcohol, cocktail
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
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