Sparkling Limeade

Sparkling limeade is a cooling bubbly delight.  You have lime and lemon juice combined with sugar, mint, and a touch of kosher salt. The fruit and mint need to be bruised in order to release their oils.  Everything is stirred together and put in the fridge for at least one hour.  Pour the mixture into some iced glasses and top with club soda.  Add a sprig of mint and you have a nice refreshing summer beverage.

Sparkling Limeade
From Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
4 lemons
5 limes
2 large handfuls of fresh mint
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) can club soda

Directions:
1. Cut 1 lemon and 1 lime into wedges and toss them into a pitcher.
2. Slice 3 lemons, and 4 limes in half.  Squeeze their juice and place in the pitcher.
3. Add the mint, sugar and pinch of salt.
4. Smash down on the citrus and mint with a wooden spoon, bruising them to release their oils.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Chill limeade at least 1 hour, then pour into 4 frosty ice-filled glasses.
6. Open the club soda and top off each glass.  Garnish with mint sprigs.

Serves 4

Cucumber Mint Limeade

Tangy, refreshing, a taste of summer.  The combination of cucumber, mint, and limes makes a delicious and satisfying summer beverage.   A nice alternative to the standard lemonade and iced tea.  You start by liquifying a cucumber in a blender and then you make a simply syrup infused with mint.  Strain into a pitcher add the lime juice and water.  Stir and serve over ice.  That is all there is to it.  Enjoy.


Cucumber Mint Limeade

Ingredients:
1 English cucumber - peeled
4-1/2 cups water plus 1/4 cup for liquifying  the cucumber
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup lime juice

Directions:
1. Slice cucumber and place slices in a blender.  Add 1/4 cup of water and blend on high until liquefied.
2. Strain through a sieve into a pitcher, pressing to extract juice.  Discard solids.
3. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved.  Add the mint and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Strain the syrup into the  pitcher with the cucumber.  Add the remaining 4-1/2 cups of water  and lime juice to the pitcher and stir.
5. Chill.  Serve.

Citrus Iced Green Tea

Ice Tea is very refreshing during the long hot summer days.  I like to try  using different teas, black, white and green in my recipes.   I found this recipe on the web and I made just some very slight modifications to it.  I reduced both the number of tea bags used and the amount of orange juice.

The result was a delicious summer drink that is sure to please everyone.  Enjoy.

Citrus Iced Green Tea

From My Recipes Adapted Slightly by From My Southwest Kitchen

Ingredients:

6 cups of water, divided

1 cup sugar

8 green tea bags

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Sprigs of fresh mint for garnish - optional

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Remove from heat.

2. Stir in the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the tea bags and steep for 5-6 minutes. Remove the tea bags.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients including the remaining 3 cups of water.  Chill and serve.

Makes 8 (1 cup) servings 

Summer Iced Tea

Iced Tea is one of my favorites during the summer.  So cool, refreshing, and great tasting.  In this recipe, the refreshing flavors of mint, orange and lemon are combined to make one of the best tasting teas I have had in a long time.

Brew some tea and make a simple syrup.  To the syrup add some fresh mint sprigs.  In a large pitcher add some orange juice, lemon juice, water, tea, and the syrup - mint sprigs removed.  Stir and chill.  Serve over ice and you will enjoy a very tasty and refreshing summer beverage.



Summer Iced Tea

Ingredients:
4 black tea bags
8 cups water - divided
1 cup sugar
3 mint sprigs
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.  In 2 cups of boiling water brew the tea bags for about 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
In the remaining 2 cups of water add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let set for 20 minutes.
2. In a large pitcher add the remaining 4 cup of water, orange juice and lemon juice.  Remove the mint sprigs from the simple syrup and pour into the pitcher along with the brewed tea.  Stir well and chill for about 2 hours.
3.  Pour over ice and garnish with a mint sprig if desired.

Minty Limeade

Need a go to cool and refreshing beverage to help you make it through the upcoming hot summer months?   I have got one for you - Minty Limeade.  The cool refreshing taste of mint mixed with the citrusy coolness of limes.   This limeade has an extra refreshing flavor. Perfect for the upcoming hot summer days.  

Let's begin making our limeade.  Start by making a mint syrup.  Sprigs of fresh mint are added to a simple syrup of sugar and boiling water.  Let the syrup cool to room temperature or make ahead of time and put it in the fridge.   In addition to the mint leaves in the syrup, fresh mint leaves are chopped and put into the bottom of the pitcher.  Pour your syrup over the mint leaves.  Next add the fresh lime juice and water.   Stir and your limeade is ready to serve.

I added a little extra touch by dipping the rims of the glasses in sugar.  Doesn't take much time and makes your drink special. 


Minty Limeade
From Our Best Bites and Adapted by From My Southwest Kitchen

For the Syrup 

2 cups water

2 cups white sugar

2-3 sprigs fresh mint

 

For the Limeade

1 3/4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

8 cups cold water

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Ice

Garnishes 

Fresh mint sprigs

1/2 cup sugar

Instructions 

1. Bring water to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add  the sugar and stir  until the syrup is clear - the sugar has dissolved.  Add the mint sprigs.   Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the refrigerator. The syrup can be made a few days ahead of time.

2.When ready to serve, place the chopped mint leaves in the bottom of the serving pitcher.  Remove the mint sprigs from the syrup. Add the syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and 8 cups of cold water. Stir well.

3. Place the 1/2 cup of sugar on a small plate.  Using a damp paper towel, wipe around the rim of each glass and then invert the glass into the  sugar. Carefully fill the sugar-rimmed glasses with ice cubes and pour the limeade into the glasses to serve.

 

Makes 12 servings

Lime-And-Mint Macerated Cherries

A delicious way to enjoy fresh cherries.  Fresh cherries are pitted, tossed with some lime zest, lime juice, sugar, fresh mint, and some kosher salt.  They are chilled for about 1 hour and then spooned over some ricotta cheese.  MMM - fantastic.  A delicious combination of fresh cherry flavor with a hint of lime and the cooling taste of mint.

I spooned they cherries also over some Greek yogurt, ice cream,   a piece of pound cake.  Everything tasted delicious with these cherries.  I loved them - a very tasty way to enjoy fresh cherries:)






Lime-And-Mint Macerated Cherries
From Southern Living Magazine - July 2015


Ingredients
1 pound fresh cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon firmly packed lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Ricotta cheese

Preparation
1. Cut half of cherries in half crosswise. Place whole cherries and cherry halves in a large bowl; add zest and next 4 ingredients, tossing to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.

2. Remove cherries from refrigerator, and let stand 10 minutes. Spoon over ricotta cheese, and serve immediately.


Serves 6- 8

Honeydew and Mint Agua Fresca

Agua Fresca is the perfect beverage, in my opinion, for a sweltering summer day.   It is cool and refreshing.  The recipe I found for Honeydew and Mint Agua Fresca hits the spot.   A mellow melon flavor with a hint of citrus and the refreshing taste of mint.  Add to this a light sparkling smoothness as it goes down.   Delicious.

I found this recipe on "Williams-Sonoma" website.  This recipe makes 12 servings.


Honeydew and Mint Agua Fresca
From Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
2 honeydew melons, about 12 lb. total
Juice of 4 lemons
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup crushed fresh mint leaves
3 cups sparkling water, chilled
3 lemons, thinly sliced
Ice cubes as needed
10 to 12 fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
Cut the honeydew melons in half and remove and discard the seeds. Using a metal spoon, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the honeydew melon in a blender or food processor.

As each batch is finished, transfer it to another large bowl. Add the lemon juice, sugar and mint leaves to the puree and stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours to blend the flavors.

When ready to serve, pour the melon mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a large pitcher or jar.

Add the sparkling water, lemon slices and ice and stir well. Pour or ladle into glasses and garnish each glass with a mint sprig. Serves 10 to 12.