It is the warmest January in 141 years. I’m not running around in shorts, yet, but I do look longingly in my snowshoes handing in the basement. It’s not that there hasn’t been enough snow to use them. There hasn’t been snow, period.
I pass my time now getting ready for an early spring and resuming my hikes in the woods and Central Park. That triggers my thirst. Now, it’s not warm here like summer in Tel Aviv, but this drink from the lovely Tel Aviv is quite refreshing year-round.
Anything with lemon or mint gets my attention. Both of them? At once? I’m interested.
The truth here is that I like my drinks very slushy, so I did NOT dilute it with the mineral water. It was thick and doubly refreshing. Tasted like mint. And lemon. Doubled down.
No, lemonata is not Hebrew for lemonade. It comes from the words for lemon and mint. See, doubled down.
Lemonata
Yield: makes 4
Ingredients:
- 150 g (5 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
- 200 ml (7 fluid ounces) lemon juice (from about 3-4 lemons)
- 6 mint sprigs
- 400 g (14 ounces/3 cups) ice cubes
- 450 ml (15 fluid ounces) sparkling mineral water
Preparation:
Pour 250 ml (1 cup) water into a heavy-based saucepan and stir in the sugar. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolved. Set aside to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until cold.
Blend the chilled sugar water, lemon juice, mint leaves and ice cubes until the ice is crushed. Divide the mixture equally among four tall glasses and top up with the mineral water.
Source: Tel Aviv by Jigal Krant [Smith Street Books, 2019]
Photo Information [Top and Bottom]: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/3.5 for 1/30th second at ISO‑400