My take on limonada: Mediterranean-style mint lemonade as they make it in Egypt. Intense with flavor, extra frothy, and extremely refreshing! There is a tiny trick involved that makes all the difference…
There is an ahwa on every street corner in Egypt. If you’re not familiar, ahwas are small coffeehouses. We’re talking hole-in-the-wall type establishments, open to the streets and filled with tiny round tables and chairs. The air is usually filled with smoke from the hookas (water pipes).
They say, if you want to see and hear Egypt, all you need to do is hang out at an ahwa. There are many sounds going on–sounds of busy streets; sounds of men talking politics and young men competing in tournaments of board games; and sounds of ahwa waiters shouting drink orders.
On the menu are the usual drinks: Turkish coffee; black tea; and limonada (lemonade). My favorite is mint lemonade, which is more commonly served in the summer.
The trick to a frothy mint lemonade
Today’s lemonade recipe is my take on the Mediterranean-style mint lemonade as served in Egypt’s ahwas. This homemade lemonade is more dense, frothy, and comes with an extra refreshing punch from fresh mint.
The trick to this thicker, frothy mint lemonade is in blending the majority of the lemons or limes with the skin on. This adds intensity to the flavor and the texture of the lemonade.
This Mediterranean-style mint lemonade is absolutely my favorite drink, particularly on hot summer days! You can add a splash of soda or vodka for a more “adult” version.
Here is the step-by-step for this mint lemonade recipe
(Scroll down for the print-friendly version)
Important note: if your blender is weaker, you will want to cut the lemons into smaller pieces, and also finely chop the mint leaves before blending.
Add all the crushed ice, water, 2 cut lemons, juice of 1 lemon, fresh mint, and sugar to the pitcher of a high-quality blender.
Cover and push blend or liquefy (high-speed function), until you achieve the desired drink consistency. Taste and add more sugar or mint leaves, if you like. Blend again.
Pour the lemonade into a serving pitcher through a mesh strainer. Add fresh mint leaves to the pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
If you like, strain the lemonade again as you pour into serving glasses. Enjoy cold!
Mediterranean-Style Mint Lemonade (Limonada)
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Prep time
10 mins
Total time
10 mins
Author: The Mediterranean Dish
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
2 cups crushed ice
4 cups water
2 large lemons (or limes), washed, cut into small pieces, and seeds removed
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, stems removed (about 25-40 mint leaves), more for later
1 cup sugar, more to your liking
Instructions
Add all the ingredients to the pitcher of a high-quality blender. Cover and push blend or liquefy (high-speed function), until you achieve the desired drink consistency.
Taste and add more sugar or mint leaves, if you like. Blend again.
Pour the lemonade into a serving pitcher through a mesh strainer. Add fresh mint leaves to the pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
If you like, strain the lemonade again as you pour into serving glasses. Enjoy cold!
Notes
If your blender is weaker, you will want to cut the lemons into smaller pieces, and also finely chop the mint before blending.
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Other Mediterranean recipes with mint:
Watermelon Salad with Mint and Feta
Tabouli Salad
Last-minute feta cheese dip
Spicy Harissa Lentil Salad
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