• Juice strawberries with a blender by adding berries and pulsing until smooth. Strain liquid through a sieve, pushing juice through with a spatula. This can be accomplished by pressing and stirring. Keep remaining pulp and set aside for separate use.
• Pour strawberry juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add water to reach 1 cup if needed.
• Pour into a small saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, and basil leaves.
• Heat over medium heat until boiling; turn the heat down to simmer and continue to cook 5 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Strain syrup through a sieve into a clean container or mason jar to remove solids.

To serve:

• Spoon 2 Tbsp of strawberry syrup into an 8-ounce glass, top with carbonated sparkling water (Pellegrino), and stir. Taste and add more syrup if desired. Top with minced basil.
• The syrup can be refrigerated for up to three weeks.