By James V. Ruocco
Looking for summer drink recipes? Or something that's simply cool and refreshing.
Every summer at my house, my mom gathered up lots of fresh ingredients to make several, mouth-watering, home-made drinks from scratch. She enjoyed it. We enjoyed it. And we always came back for more.
These are some of her recipes.
Quick and simple. No fuss. No mess.
Old-Fashioned Lemonade
6-8 lemons.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups cold water.
ice cubes.
Slice the lemons in half and squeeze them to make the juice.
If using a clear pitcher, add 3-5 lemon slices or halves for extra flavor and garnishment.
Add water, ice cubes, sugar or sweetener. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Strawberry/Lemon/Orange Cooler
3 lemons.
3 oranges.
10-15 strawberries.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups of cold water.
ice cubes.
Slice the lemons in half and use them to make the juice.
Slice the oranges in half and use them to make the juice.
Cut the strawberries in half. Toss them into the mix.
If using a clear pitcher, add the cut lemons and cut oranges for additional flavor and garnishment.
Add water, ice cubes, sugar or sweetener. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Berry Splash
1/2 cup of blueberries.
1/2 cup of blackberries.
1/2 cup of strawberries.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups of cold water.
Mint (optional for garnishment).
ice cubes.
Cut the strawberries in half.
Add blueberries and blackberries.
Add water, fruit, ice cubes, sugar or sweetener into a clear pitcher. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Old-Fashioned Iced Tea
6-8 Lipton tea bags.
1 lemon.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups of cold water.
ice cubes.
Add cold water, ice cubes, sugar or artificial sweetener.
Add 6-8 tea bags into clear pitcher of water and let them steep.
Cut the lemons into slices and squeeze them for juice. Add 4 or 5 slices into the mix for garnishment and additional flavor. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Strawberry/ Orange Cooler
1 1/2 cups of strawberries.
1-2 oranges.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups of cold water.
ice cubes.
Cut up strawberries, toss in blender and puree.
Cut up oranges and squeeze them for juice.
Add cold water, ice cubes, sugar or artificial sweetener in clear pitcher.
Toss in sliced oranges and sliced strawberries for additional flavor and garnishment. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Lemonade/Mint Refresher
6 lemons.
3-5 fresh mint leaves.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
6-8 cups of cold water.
ice cubes.
Slice the lemons in half and squeeze them to make the juice.
If using a clear pitcher, add 3-5 lemon slices or halves for extra flavor and garnishment.
Add water, ice cubes, sugar or sweetener. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Add 2-4 fresh mint leaves to the mix for special flavoring.
Orange/Pineapple Cooler
Orange Juice.
Pineapple Juice
Canada Dry Ginger Ale.
1 lemon.
1 orange.
ice cubes.
In a clear pitcher, combine the orange juice, the pineapple juice and the ginger ale.
Cut the lemon and the orange into slices and squeeze them to make the juice. Use 2-4 orange slices for garnishment.
Add ice cubes. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
Limeade
8-10 limes.
6-8 cups of cold water.
sugar or artificial sweetener.
ice cubes.
Cut the limes into slices and squeeze them to make the juice.
In a clear pitcher, combine the lime juice, sugar or artificial sweetener. Use 3-5 lime slices for garnishment or extra flavor.
Add ice cubes. Stir and chill in refrigerator.
This column is dedicated to my mother Frances Capizzi Ruocco
