Strawberry Mocktail

This "mocktail" tastes like a tropical vacation and if you want the real thing, a shot of vodka or rum should work just fine.

Ingredients:

1 pound strawberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar OR 1/3 cup stevia powder

Fresca (or club soda or sprite)

1. Top and hull the strawberries.

2. In a blender, combine the strawberries and water and blend into a puree.

3. In a saucepan, combine with the strawberry puree with either the sugar or stevia. Bring to a boil while stirring then simmer over low heat for 5-8 minutes.

4. Let the strawberry simple syrup cool.

5. In a glass with ice, fill 1/3-1/2 full with the cooled strawberry simple syrup.

6. Top with Fresca and mix well.