I start by rinsing the strawberries, pulling off the green tops, and chopping them into rough pieces. There's no need to cut them evenly since they'll be pureed later anyway. This step only takes a couple of minutes, but it makes the rest of the process go so much faster.

Next, I add the chopped strawberries and sugar to a saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. I let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often, until the sugar has fully dissolved into a soft, jammy syrup. The kitchen smells amazing at this point, so be ready for that.

While the strawberries are cooking, I juice all six lemons and pour that fresh juice into a large pitcher along with the 6 cups of water. I like getting this done while the stove is doing its thing so I'm not juggling two tasks separately.

Once the sugar is nearly dissolved, I roughly chop the fresh basil and stir it right into the warm strawberry mixture. The heat helps release the basil's oils, which is really where that unique flavor comes from. I only let it sit in there for a minute or two before moving on.

After the sugar has fully melted, I puree the strawberry basil mixture using an immersion blender directly in the saucepan, or I transfer everything to a regular blender if that's easier. Either way, I blend until it's completely smooth with no chunks left behind.

I pour the strawberry basil puree into the pitcher with the lemon juice and water, then stir it really well so everything is evenly distributed. From there, the pitcher goes into the fridge for at least four hours, though I usually let mine sit overnight for the best flavor.

Once it's fully chilled, I decide whether I want it strained or not. If I'm serving it to guests who might not love the texture of basil flecks or strawberry pulp, I pour it through a fine mesh strainer first. Otherwise, I just give it a good stir and serve it as is.