In 2009 I visited Saudi Arabia for some work, and while I was there I experienced two absolutely wonderful concoctions. The first was a blood orange juice and strawberry smoothie with a bit of salt in it. The second was a mint lemonade. When I got home I did some testing, went through a bunch of lemons, sugar, and vodka, and finally reverse engineered this recipe.
Since Oligarchy Day (July 4th) is coming up, perhaps some of you might enjoy it.
The Things You Will Need:
Ngredients (makes about 4 pilsner glasses full)
- 5 or 6 lemons
- 2-3 pinches of salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- about 2 dozen mint leaves
- some ice
- water
- blender capable of blending ice
- (optional) between 1 shot glass and a cup of vodka, ice cold (leave it in the freezer overnight!)
Squeeze the lemons into a pitcher; add cool water to fill, add sugar and salt and mix. The resulting lemonade should be subtle, slightly sweet but not cloying, with the tiniest hint of saltiness. (Pro tip: you can omit the pitcher entirely if you are sure you won’t hit the power switch on the blender while you’re reaching into it with a spoon to taste-test the proportions)
Pour the lemonade into the blender; add ice cubes. Add the vodka. Blend until smooth. Work relatively quickly; you don’t want the ice/vodka/lemonade to get hot – this is best served at revenge temperature (very cold).
Line up glasses and fill them 2/3 with lemonade from the pitcher. Then add the mint to the remaining 1/3 of the lemonade that’s in the blender. Blend. Gently top off the glasses with the minty lemonade from the blender. What will happen at this point is that the green minty stuff will be slightly foamy and stay at the top, giving a slight two-layer effect.
This batch had perhaps a slight bit too much mint!!!! …
…but it went down anyway.
(Note: This is an edited version of an old posting on my website)
Wow. That sounds great. There’s wild mint growing all over are property, too, so it’s at hand. The assholes here have already been setting off window shaking explosions. This time of year is torture for me, and for everyone else with PTSD too, I imagine. I wish people would think now and then, but no, it’s all “explosions!”
Hmmm, maybe a drink is a really good idea.
Caine@#1:
maybe a drink is a really good idea.
“For medicinal purposes”
Out here I have some kind of plant that grows in the grass, which smells like mint and basil when it’s cut. I call it “field basil” because it needs a name. I keep meaning to invent a tea based on it, so I can feel like I’m summer/home when I drink it. Maybe it’d go in lemonade!
The fireworks are bad out here too. Every year some local kid blows their hand apart and there is the mandatory “why? why?”
PS – the blood orange and strawberry frappe benefits hugely from the addition of bay rum.
It’s just hard to get blood oranges around here. If you use a mix of clementines and oranges you get the same effect.
Marcus:
Oh, blood orange and strawberry sounds so good. So very good. I’ve never had bay rum. I have never cared for hard liquor much, the only way I can drink it is if it’s just a tiny amount, and seriously drowned out by other flavour of some sort.
Hmmm, that’s interesting. Sounds a bit like lemon balm. Lemon balm would work well in the drink, too.
There is a Thai drink that is similar to this. It is usually labelled “Soda Chanh” on the menu. It can be an absolutely transcenent experience, or just so-so. I’ve never figured out why.
Charles Insandiego@#5:
I’m going to look for that at my favorite thai place next time!!
Drinks can be transcendant experiences based on a bunch of things including how dehydrated you are, the flavors, the outside temperature, etc. I have had a few drinks in my life that will always be memorable – including one mug of slush-cold hard cider at a hot and humid reenactor event in 1985. I remember that like it was 5 minutes ago!
Thank you Marcus; that looks delicious.
Caine@#4:
I just looked at some pictures of lemon balm and that sure looks like it! Good catch!