Rising thermometer bars are increasingly encouraging. And when the weather warms up, we often look for something to refresh ourselves. If you are tired of all kinds of smoothies or ice cream cocktails, try making a delicious yet innocent lemonade at home. This refreshing drink with a special taste does not require complex ingredients or long cooking time. A variety of soft drinks, juices and fruit juices always attract a lot of attention from customers on hot days, says Vaida Budriene, communication manager of the “Iki” shopping chain.
The ancient Egyptians already consumed it
“As the weather warms, we notice that consumers are looking for tasty and healthy drinks. In turn, we have prepared a wide range of very diverse drinks to suit everyone’s taste: from juices and fruit juices, soft drinks to the ever-popular fermented tea kombucha, which often finds its way into customers’ baskets,” said V. Budriene
Vilma Judkaziene, a representative of the “Iki” shopping chain, says that lemonade has been a popular drink in the world since ancient times and was enjoyed as early as the 13-14th centuries in ancient Egypt.
“Written sources say that the ancient Egyptians loved a drink like lemonade. Their favorite drink was made with dates, lemon juice, honey and water, or water flavored with lemon juice and sugar,” V. Judkazien says.
Currently, there are countless lemonades. For example, Finns like to make lemonade using water, yeast, lemon juice and sugar, popular lemonade in India is flavored with cumin and salt, and in Switzerland it is made with condensed milk and lemon juice.
Easy to make at home
According to V. Juodkazienie, making lemonade at home is really easy.
“It’s easy to improvise with ingredients when making lemonade and there are many healthy alternatives to choose from. Instead of sugar, use honey, agave or maple syrup, season the lemonade with various seasonal fruits, berries, fresh herbs, of course, fill it all with carbonated or plain water and chill it. ,” V. Judkazien says.
As with any drink, the key to making lemonade is the balance of flavors. Lemonade should not be too sweet, too sour or too bitter. The representative of “Iki” says that if you like classic lemonade, you can diversify it by choosing different herbs: use basil, rosemary or mint, thyme. If you like a spicy flavor, you can add fresh ginger to this lemonade.
If you make berry lemonade, you can use fresh and frozen berries, the latter of which also serves as ice in the drink. When making lemonades, you can use fruits not only fresh, but also mashed, and if you like it sweet, you can use your favorite berry jam or jam. Of course, after flavoring lemonade with these ingredients, do not overdo it with sugar or other natural sweeteners, jams and jams are already sweet enough.
V. Juodkazienė advises making lemonade at home and shares 4 recipes for simple drinks.
A refreshing summer punch
You will need:
600 ml of fruit tea
200 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
200 ml of pineapple juice
1 grapefruit or orange slices
1 pinch of cinnamon
2 v. percent Honey
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup ice cubes
We produce:
Make a fruit tea, mix cinnamon and honey and let it cool. Then pour orange and pineapple juice, add grapefruit or orange slices, add ice and serve.
Homemade lemonade with strawberries, apples and peaches
You will need:
1 L of carbonated mineral water
1 apple
1 pear
2 peaches
150 grams of strawberries
1 lemon
1 year per cent. Honey
5 grams of fresh mint leaves
10 ice cubes (optional)
We produce:
Wash the fruit, cut it into several parts, put it on the grill (except for the lemon) and grill it on hot coals until the juice is released. Pour mineral water into a jug, squeeze in lemon juice, add hand-chopped mint leaves, honey and ice. Mix everything. Chop cooked fruits and berries and mix them into the drink. If you don’t mind the thickness, you can mash the fruit a bit with a fork. Refresh yourself!
Cucumber Lemonade
You will need:
Some cucumbers
A few lemons
A dash of agave syrup
Carbonated water
Grab some ice
We produce:
Peel the cucumbers and mash them with a food processor. Drain the cucumber pulp through a fine sieve or cloth. Mix with lemon juice and cucumber juice. Season with agave syrup, add sparkling table water and mix. Serve with plenty of ice and fresh cucumber slices.
Lemon Lemonade with Thyme
You will need:
250 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lemon
1 liter of water
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
150 grams of ice cream
For the syrup:
20 grams of sugar
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
150 ml of water
We produce:
Boil water in a pot, add sugar and add thyme to the syrup. Heat until sugar dissolves. Remove the twigs and place the syrup in the refrigerator to cool. Pour water into a jug, add ice, lemon juice and syrup. Cut the lemon into slices and put them in the pitcher with the thyme. Mix it all up and refresh yourself!