Categories
Beverage

Summer means it’s time for a ‘mango-nificent’ lemonade

Fresh mango lemonade features pureed mangos, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a homemade simple syrup, making for a refreshing summertime drink. It’s great as is or with a splash of tequila.

You know summer is here when you start seeing area kids trying their hand at entrepreneurship with lemonade stands.

This past weekend, I saw several friends posting photos of their children with toothy grins, sitting behind card tables adorned with homemade signs. As much as some things change, there are so many that seem to stay the same in our small towns.

I wish all of those budding business owners luck with their endeavors, and while I’m sure most will be leaning heavily on Country Time or Kool-Aid for their pitchers full of yellow gold, I would like to offer up a bit more complicated recipe that is delicious and takes plain, old lemonade to the next level with the tropical flavor of mango.

This comes from the blog “Onion Rings & Things.” You can find the original post at https://www.onionringsandthings.com/mango-lemonade/. I didn’t add any ingredients on this one, because it’s so simple.

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Fresh Mango Lemonade

Fresh mango lemonade features pureed mangos, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a homemade simple syrup, making for a refreshing summertime drink. It’s great as is or with a splash of tequila.
Course Beverage
Keyword cocktail, fresh lemon, lemon juice, lemonade, mango, simple syrup, tropical drink

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups cold water
  • ice

Instructions

  • Add the sugar and one cup of water to a sauce pot. Heat it over medium heat until the mixture is at a simmer—just below boiling—stirring occasionally.
  • Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid looks clear, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. (This is what you call a simple syrup, but don’t be fooled, it won’t be anywhere near the consistency of the stuff you put on your pancakes.)
  • Scoop out the insides of the mangoes and place them in a blender along with the freshly squeezed lemon juice, cooled simple syrup and cold water. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. (If you don’t have enough room in your blender, just puree the mango with the lemon juice, and then pour all of the ingredients into a pitcher and mix.)
  • Pour the mixture over ice (if you’re not into pulp, you might want to strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve first) and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

This was absolutely delicious. It was certainly more work than scooping powder and sugar into a pitcher, but it was worth it. Personally, I didn’t mind the little bit of pulp in my glass, but Joey was more in favor of straining his. It’s all about your own preferences.

And, yes, in case you’re wondering, you can take this from being a fun, kid-friendly summer drink to something just for the adults. We tried it with some tequila for a bit of a margarita flair, and it was super tasty. (You probably shouldn’t try that version for your stands, though, kids.)

Drinking lemonade—spiked or not—is one of the many signs of summer and a much better one than sunburns, mosquito bites and sweat.

It’s that little slice of Americana that just never seems to get old.

This piece first appeared in print on May 25, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Beverage

You’ll pine for this fresh summer treat

Agua de piña, or pineapple water, is a traditional Mexican drink that helps to beat the heat this time of year.

Last week, we walked into one of our favorite restaurants in Hutchinson, a little hole-in-the-wall called El Rodeo that serves up tons of amazing Mexican food.

I have explored all over their menu, and I have yet to find something I didn’t like. I’m especially a sucker for their chorizo and potato fried tacos, which are crispy and perfectly seasoned. My mouth is watering just thinking about them right now.

This visit, my eye was drawn to a large container of pretty yellow liquid sitting next to the ever-present and always-tempting container of horchata (now there’s a recipe I need to try at home, too).

“Pineapple water,” I was told when wondering what it was.

I immediately ordered a big glass, and I was not even slightly disappointed, so of course, I researched pineapple water, or agua de piña.

An article by Gilda Valdez Carbonaro explains that aguas frescas (fresh waters) are popular in Mexico from spring through early fall and are made with a variety of fruits, seeds and other fresh produce (horchata, a rice-based drink, is considered an agua fresca, too).

If you’re not familiar, don’t think of it as a smoothie or as just a normal fruit juice. It’s in a league of its own, and it’s amazing.

The recipe I decided to use was from Douglas Cullen on the blog “Mexican Food Journal.” I changed nothing about this recipe, because it was literally three ingredients—and it was awesome. You can find his original post at https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/pineapple-water/amp/.

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Agua de Piña

Agua de piña, or pineapple water, is a traditional Mexican drink that helps to beat the heat this time of year.
Course Beverage
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword agua de fruta, pineapple

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe fresh pineapple
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

  • You will want to make this in two batches, because it will overflow your blender otherwise.
  • Begin by cutting your pineapple into chunks. The best way to slice a pineapple, in my experience, is to cut the top and bottom off of it. Then cut it into quarters. Slice out the little bit of core on the edge of each quarter. Then slice your knife down through the fruit but not through the skin. Start by slicing it in half lengthwise and then do the same going the other direction, cutting the fruit into about one-inch chunks.
  • Now, carefully run your knife between the fruit and the skin, and it should easily come off in perfect-sized chunks. If any of the green bits come away with the fruit, trim it off.
  • Combine half of the pineapple, water and sugar in a blender and blend until everything is smooth. Repeat with the second half.
  • Pour the mixture into a pitcher or jug through a fine strainer (I had to keep jostling the contents of mine, because it was getting clogged up as it strained).
  • Serve at room temperature or out of the fridge. No ice needed.

This is an extremely satisfying drink, and while there is added sugar, it doesn’t hold a candle to drinking a pop, a glass of Kool-aid or even a lot of fruit juices you can buy.

As a side note, if you’re nervous about buying fresh pineapple, the goal is to find one that gives just a little when you press on it, and the best rule about ripe pineapple is that the better it smells, the riper it is.

I was pretty sad when the last glass of agua de piña left our fridge last week, and I suspect there may be a couple more batches in our future this summer.

It also pairs great with a couple fried chorizo and potato tacos, which come to think of it, will likely be in my future as well.

This piece first appeared in print on June 20, 2020.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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