- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Sambuca
- 2 pound strawberries, trimmed, then halved or quartered if large
- Bring water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan using tip of a paring knife and add pod. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then boil until reduced to about 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in Sambuca.
- Transfer syrup to a bowl and let cool completely. Stir in strawberries and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour. Discard pod.