ANN/THE DAILY STAR – With temperatures climbing to unprecedented highs this year, staying hydrated is more crucial than ever. Instead of sticking to your usual mixes and juices, why not elevate your refreshment game?
Lemonade, a classic sunny season staple, is already delicious, but here are five quick and easy ways to jazz it up in under two minutes!
ICE CUBES BRING MORE THAN COOLNESS
In the heat, nothing beats a chilled glass of lemonade. But what if the ice not only cools your drink but also adds extra flavour? Next time, try freezing flavoured liquids instead of plain water. Use a variety of fruit juices to create flavourful ice cubes that will enhance your lemonade.
You can also cut or slice other fruits and freeze them with ice – such as orange slices or strawberry cubes. Once you prepare your lemonade, just drop the ice cubes in it and it will add another layer of flavour while chilling your drink.
LAYER IT UP WITH FLAVOURS
When it comes to cooking, your dish really is your canvas and there are so many ways you can go about it – be it for a curry recipe, a sweet dessert, or just plain old lemonade. Water, lime, and sugar make for a refreshing drink but you can enhance the flavours so much by adding just a splash of this and a dash of that.
Flavoured syrups pack a punch such as rose syrup and curacao syrup. Alternatively, you could mix in watermelon or strawberry juice, turning it into a watermelon or strawberry lemonade. There are so many other variations you can try such as orange pulp or berry concentrate. Carbonated drinks bring in the fizzy element – the sky really is your limit!
GARNISH YOUR HEART AWAY
What makes your food look pretty on the outside but also adds flavour inside – garnish! And with lemonades you could do it a hundred ways. We of course have the basic mint leaf or lime wheel, but there is so much more you can do. Crushing small amounts of fruits at the bottom before pouring your lemonade makes all the difference – be it strawberry, mint, or pineapples.
However, do not just limit yourself to playing around with flavours, be creative with your garnish. You can dip your glass rim in some instant juice powder and salt for an added layer of flavour. Additionally, you can add little, cut fruits on a stick and use it as garnish.
TROPICAL TWIST
While we beat the heat, let’s take utmost advantage of the sun and our delicious tropical fruits. Tropical fruits and juices pair extremely well with lemonades. Just add a drizzle and you will know the difference. Some common flavour choices include pineapple, mango, coconut, and lychee.
When you prepare your lemonade, pour in a sufficient amount of tropical fruit juice to bring in those flavours but not so much as to overpower the original tart and sweet lime flavour.
Stir the two flavours to combine them and enjoy!
SLUSH IT UP
Did you know you could turn any drink into a slushy very easily? That’s correct! And the secret ingredient is very simple – ice. Once your lemonade is ready, just blend it with a decent amount of ice and soon enough you will have a lemonade slushy.
However, when doing so, keep in mind that this will dilute the drink, so make it stronger than you usually would.
You can also try this with flavoured lemonades and you will have a refreshing fruit slushy in no time.
To level up our game, you can use flavoured ice cubes to make the slushy and this will make it even better.
So, which of these methods will you make? – Fariha Amber
