Limonada Suíça (Swiss Lemonade)Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
As temperatures rise, so many of us turn to cold, juicy drinks to cool down. And when it comes to lemonade, everyone has their own way of taking it. I remember the pink kind I had in childhood, made using a syrupy concentrate, or the powdered stuff my friends made, which reminded me of Neo Citran. As a grown-up with a more refined taste for citrus, I started using freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice and sugar to add to bubbly or still water and cocktails, or blend with plenty of ice and fresh mint for slushies all summer long. But recently, like millions of others, I came across a milky Brazilian lemonade in my social-media feed, and was drawn in by its similarity to the creamy key lime pie and Mexican paletas I adore.
Known as limonada Suíça (Swiss lemonade) in Brazil for its use of sweetened condensed milk, which was invented in France but produced in Switzerland in the early 20th century, it’s made with whole lemons or limes – the word limão is used interchangeably and refers to both in Portuguese – blended with water, strained, then blended again with the sweet milk and ice. If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk or want a dairy-free option (though you can buy sweetened condensed coconut milk), about a cup of coconut milk and 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar works beautifully. And though fresh mint is not traditional, as this reminded me of the mint-lime slushie I’ve made for years (inspired by the one on the menu at Tacofino in Tofino), I plucked a few sprigs from my garden and added them to a batch with delicious results.
Limonada Suíça (Swiss Lemonade)
Blending the whole fruit, skin and all, makes for a more intense flavour, but the white pith can be bitter – if you want to take an extra preventative step, peel or grate the colourful zest off your citrus with a vegetable peeler or microplane grater, then peel away the white pith and chop the flesh into chunks to toss in the blender.
- 4-5 limes or 3-4 thin-skinned lemons (or a combination), washed well
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (regular or coconut) or about a cup of coconut milk plus 1/4-1/3 cup sugar
- ice
- sugar, to taste (if needed)
Shave any zest you want to use for garnish off your limes with a paring knife or vegetable peeler (or remove a few slices or wedges), then cut the rest into chunks, peel and all, and toss them into a blender.
Add just enough water to cover the fruit and pulse until chunky. (Do not overprocess – it could make your drink bitter.)
Pour through a strainer and discard the solids, returning the strained lime juice to your blender. Add the condensed milk (or coconut milk and sugar) and a handful or two of ice cubes. (If you’d like it minty, add a sprig or two of mint.) Blend until smooth and taste; add a tablespoon of sugar if necessary. Pour into glasses and garnish with a wheel of lime or strip of zest, and/or a sprig of mint.
Serves 2-4.