When planning our Independence Day Party, I wanted to have a couple of signature drinks that could be made with or without alcohol.  One of the drinks I created was a Roasted Strawberry Sparkler.  This beverage uses the syrup created while roasting strawberries, which tastes like a cross between strawberry pie and caramel sauce and it makes for a killer soda, with or without booze.

To make the Roasted Strawberry Syrup:

1 pint strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and quartered

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, place the strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a 2-quart baking dish.  Roast the strawberries in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the strawberries from the oven and separate them from the syrup produced during the roasting process.  Save the strawberries for another use or freeze them to use instead of ice in your drink (yum!).  Chill the syrup in an air-tight container until you’re ready to use it (up to 2 weeks).

To make the Roasted Strawberry Sparkler:

2 oz Roasted Strawberry Syrup

2 oz vodka, or alcohol of choice (optional)

6 oz sparkling water or seltzer (or to taste)

Mint sprig for garnish (optional)

Fill a Collins glass (or preferred glass) 1/4 of the way with ice.  Pour in the Roasted Strawberry Syrup and vodka.  Top with the sparkling water.  Stir the ingredients to combine.  Serve with a mint sprig and paper straw.

Serves 1

🍓 Other uses for Roasted Strawberries: Mixed into yogurt; used in salads; topping ice cream, pound cake, angel food cake, any other kind of cake under the sun, pancakes, waffles, or French toast; eating on their own…I could go on…

Roasted Strawberry Recipe originally retrieved from: https://www.delish.com/cooking/videos/a41886/roasted-strawberries/