Cool off with Lemonade and Iced Tea
Find a nice shady corner in the garden to cool off and sip on these two favourite refreshing summertime drinks. The simple lemonade recipe is sweet and tangy, delicious with just the right tart-to-sweet ratio. The iced tea, caffeine free, gets its zip from fresh lemon.
Lemonade recipe
Makes 2 1/2 litres (10 cups)
- 6 large lemons
- 250 ml (1 cup) white sugar
- 2 litres (7 to 8 cups) ice water
- 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
Squeeze juice from lemons and strain in pitcher. Add sugar and ice water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Cut up lemon rinds and place in a bowl. Add the boiling water. Let stand until the water is cold. Then discard the rinds. Don’t leave the rinds in the water after the water is cold, as they will make the lemonade bitter.
Add the lemon rind water to the juice mixture in the pitcher and refrigerate until well chilled.
Variation:
To give the lemonade a colourful hue and fruity flavour, add in pureed blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries. Let sit for an hour and then strain before serving. Add sparkling water for some pizzazz.
Iced tea recipe
Makes 2 litres (8 cups)
- juice of one lemon
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) white sugar
- 500 ml (2 cups) fresh cold water
- 4 tea bags of decaffeinated tea
- ice cubes
- lemon slices
Dip the rims of your glasses in lemon juice and then in a dish of white sugar to make a sugar rim around the top of each glass.
Bring the fresh cold water to boil. Pour over tea bags and let steep for 20 minutes. Remove tea bags. This makes a tea concentrate.
Pour concentrate into a 2-litre (8-cup) pitcher and add water to fill the pitcher. Cover and refrigerate, or serve right away by adding a dozen ice cubes and filling the pitcher with cold water.
To make each serving, pour tea into a sugar-rimmed glass filled with ice and add a slice of lemon and sugar according to taste.
Tip: To serve extra-cold refreshments, chill glasses in refrigerator beforehand.
by Sandra Shields
