Lemonade is a delicious summer treat, but sometimes you need a little twist on a cool summer evening that will warm you up. In order to make a sweet and spicy drink, we added sriracha sauce and basil to warm lemonade before cooling it off. In order to make this drink you will need

2 quarts Lemonade, either from a powder, or made from scratch
1/8 cup Sriracha sauce. I happen to be fond of Thai Kitchen because it brings the heat, but isn't overwhelming
8-10 leaves fresh basil
Water and sugar to taste

Step 1: Add the Basil

Heat the lemonade over medium heat in a large saucepan. Finely chop the basil and add it to the warm lemonade. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let the drink sit for at least one hour so the basil can steep, longer for more flavor.

Step 2: Heat Up the Lemonade

Reheat the lemonade over medium heat. When it's warm, add in the sriracha and stir until well incorporated. This will prevent the drink from seperating and settling when you're serving it.

Step 3: Taste Testing and Adjustments

While you're making the drink, it's important to test the taste. If it's too hot, add sugar and water to dilute the sriracha. Likewise, you can add more sriracha to make it hotter, or more basil if you feel it's getting drowned out by the more intense flavors.

Step 4: Final Preparations & Serving

If you would like, run the lemonade through a strainer and into a punch bowl or pitcher to collect the basil. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the leaves and get every last drop of flavor. Move the pitcher to the fridge and chill. Before serving, stir the lemonade to reincorporate any sriracha that has settled, though warming it up enough in the earlier steps will make this less necessary.