Easy Classic Lemonade – Recipe

lemonade
Advertisements

Lemonade (Still)

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

9

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

5

minutes

How to make a classic Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cup 1.5 Granulated Sugar

  • 1.5 cups 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 6 cups 6 Water

  • Optional Ingredients
  • 1 tsp 1 Lemon Extract

Directions

  • Combine water, lemon juice, and sugar into a pitcher. Stir to combine.
  • If just lemon juice was used and no lemon oil was expressed from the rind. Consider adding lemon extract for extra flavor.
  • Cool the drink in the refrigerator and add ice right before serving.

Featured Video

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice Vs. Store Bought Lemon Juice

Fresh squeezed is always better than store-bought. Hands down. I’ve tried to find a store bought I like, I really have, and they all are too bitter or overly sour without being flavorful. The bitter ones taste like the whole fruit was ground up and strained. Which does add the valuable lemon oils from the zest but also adds the awful bitter pith. Others have an overly sour taste that natural lemon juice could never have while somehow being flavorless. Fresh squeeze is a lot more work but the quality of the flavor is miles better. If you plan on making a lot of juice maybe wear rubber gloves because all that lemon juice and oil does a number on your hands after a while.

Best Tools For Juicing Citrus

The best tool to use to get fresh squeezed is the squeezer that inverts the fruit instead of the one that has a ridged spiky thing that goes into the fruit. I really don’t know how else to describe it so here is a picture.

There are pros and cons to both. The juice from the squeeze tool tastes the best because a little oil from the rind is released too, but it’s the most labor-intensive. The kind with the ridged spike is easier to use but since no oil is released from the rind it is not as flavorful as the squeeze tool. This can be mitigated by adding a couple of drops of lemon essential oil.

American Style Lemonade vs. English & Australian Style Lemonade

Depending on your country, if you order a lemonade, what you get could be very different. In countries like the United States, India, and most of Asia lemonade is still, non-carbonated drink, primarily flavored with lemon juice. Actually that is lemonade in most counties with the exceptions to this being the UK and Australia. In the UK and Australia, lemonade is a clear carbonated drink primarily flavored with lemon oil. In the United States this is seen as a lemon flavored soda. In Italy, lemonade is a carbonated drink primarily flavored with lemon juice. Like San Pellegrino’s Limonata. Making the Italian style halfway between the American and UK style lemonades. These two primary styles are often distinguished as cloudy vs clear lemonade, but i prefer still vs carbonated. Not that any of this really matters unless you’re traveling or reading a recipe from a different country. First time I made a Pimm’s Cup I used American style lemonade, not really realizing it is a British cocktail and i should be using Sprite or 7up. Same goes for the shandy. Just something to keep in mind.

Is Lemonade Healthier Than Soda

No, not necessarily. The unhealthy part of soda is its high amount of sugar, and lemonade has just as much sugar as soda. Some store-bought lemonades have more sugar than a soda. For example an 8 oz Coke has 26g of sugar and here are the grams of sugar in some store-bought lemonades.

  • Simply Lemonade: 28g sugar, 11% lemon juice
  • Newman’s Own Lemonade: 25g sugar, %15 lemon juice
  • Minute Maid Lemonade: 17g sugar, 11% lemon juice
  • Tropicana Lemonade: 28g sugar, 10% lemon juice

The list goes on, but as you can see, lemonade is worse than a Coke in some cases because extra sugar is needed to offset the sourness of the lemons. You can also see a correlation between how much sugar is added and how much lemon juice a drink has. For comparison my recipe it is 16% lemon juice with 31g of sugar. Oh no, my recipe is the most unhealthy of all but it also has the most lemon juice. If you want healthy, drink water.

What Is The Best Lemonade Recipe Ratio?

A standard base ratio for making lemonade is:

  • 1 Part lemon juice
  • 1 Part sugar
  • 4 Parts water

This ratio results in a generally pleasing sweet-to-sour flavor and is similar to most other high-quality recipes. This ratio can be adjusted to make for lemonade that is either sweeter or more sour. Use the 1:1:4 ratio as a baseline. Some recipes that have less lemon juice will add granulated citric acid and lemon oil to make up for containing less juice as they try to save money. And this isn’t bad. Citric acid and lemon oil taste great together, but its still being done to get it close to the flavor of the 1:1:4 ratio.

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Sun Tea – How To Make It

Sun Tea
Advertisements

Sun Tea – How To Make It

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

16

servings
Calories

2

kcal
Total time

3

hours 

How to make a classic sun tea

Ingredients

  • 2 Gallons 2 Water

  • 20 Regular 20 Black Tea Bags

Directions

  • Add water to a large clear drink container
  • Tie the tea bags together and place them in the water in a way that they will be easy to remove later
  • Place the container in direct sunlight and let it rest for 3 hours
  • Remove the tea bags and place the drink container in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Featured Video

What Is Sun Tea?

Anyone who grew up poor knows sun tea is a cheap way to make a ton of tea for the kids without heating a ton of water. The kids are running around in the backyard, all sweaty and gross and covered in dirt, and you show up as the hero with refreshing tea, and they grow up with happy memories. That’s what sun tea is. My mom made this for me and my siblings when we were younger, and now I make it for my kids.

How Many Bags To Make 1 Gallon Of Sun Tea?

Most folks use about 10 to 12 normal-sized bags for 1 gallon, depending on how strong you like the tea to taste. You could do as little as 8 bags per gallon, but don’t do less than that.

Sun Tea Dangers

To preface, I am not a food scientist. These are just my opinions. Consult a doctor before putting anything in your body. So apparently, sun tea is dangerous now. I’ve been drinking this my whole life, and neither I nor anyone I know has become sick from it. But that’s just anecdotal evidence. If you do a Google search for sun tea now, the top-ranking articles and suggestions are all about how sun tea is dangerous and should never be consumed. This fear stems from a 1996 article by the CDC called “Memo on Bacterial Contamination of Iced Tea.” The article argues that since sun tea is not heated above 165°F (74°C) and left in the sun for a few hours, dangerous germs could grow and should not be consumed after 8 hours of brewing. It doesn’t mention anyone explicitly getting sick, but that someone could.

I believe the article’s logic is if a raw pork chop at room temperature was left in the sun for 3 hours, brought inside, and left on the counter for a few hours; It too would be dangerous to eat. Both are food items, so sun tea must also be dangerous to consume because of germ growth. To be fair you can get sick from drinking old sun tea the same way you can get sick from drinking stale water. Cups are not fully germ free, so even a cup of plain water left out for too long will get cloudy eventually and go bad. But, in my opinion, I feel heating tea to the same temperature of cooked food is a poor analogical argument because the recommended cooking temperatures for food don’t really apply to tea, and killing germs is a result of both time and temperature. Here are my issues with the logic.

  1. 165°F (74°C) is the recommended temperature to kill most germs instantly. This is applied to cooking meat since it may only be cooked for a few minutes, but germs die at much lower temperatures over a longer period. This is the principle of pasteurization. Long and low. I’ve pasteurized, and 135°F (57°C) over 75 minutes will basically kill everything too. I once left a sun tea out on a 95°F day and measured the temperature after 3 hours, and it was 145°F. According to pasteurizing requirements, it’s good to go.
  2. UV light is used as an antimicrobial in water purification. When ultraviolet photons enter a cell, the energy in them will permanently damage the DNA and kill almost all germs and viruses. Many high-end water purifiers will have a UV chamber that disinfects the water in less than 10 seconds. I believe most of those systems are UVC, but the UVA and UVB emitted by the sun will still fry a germ. It’s why we get sunburns. With 3% of the energy from the sun being UVA and UVB, it has to have some disinfecting ability within the sun tea. If I was left out in the sun for 3 hours in a 145°F bath of water, I think I would die too.
  3. Most U.S. water systems use chlorine or some other disinfectant treatment to purify water. You can smell it when you pour a glass of water from the tap. The water is still chlorinated when it comes out of the tap, so the “dirty” tea leaves get a very light disinfecting wash when they first enter the pitcher full of water.
  4. None of these concerns seems to be related to real-world infections or illnesses. The CDC article was all hypothetical and implied that it could happen, not that it ever has. And no other source can point to an actual example of someone getting sick from sun tea. Countless people get sick, and some die, from poor food handling all the time, but none of these articles about the dangers of sun tea could point to one instance of it actually happening.

To be fair If it’s been sitting in your refrigerator for a week, it may be time to toss it, but I think the best thing to do is treat sun tea like we treat syrups. Germ growth is exponential but it takes time. So it takes a little time to start going bad, but once it starts to go bad it goes really bad fast. Once you see any cloudiness, toss it. Use common sense. I make many syrups, which are the perfect environment for cultivating germs. A syrup will last around a week or 2 in the fridge, but once there is any cloudiness, it needs to be tossed as it is obvious germs are growing out of control. Again, I’m no doctor or microbiologist (I’m just some dummy who owns a drink website, and for 300 dollar bucks a year, you could do that too), so to play it safe, consult a professional before drinking sun tea, or eating, or drinking anything.

“The practice of making “sun tea” by steeping tea bags in a container of water in the sun may be of higher theoretical risk than brewing tea at higher temperatures because it provides an environment where bacteria are more likely to survive and multiply”

Feb 1996 Vol 96, #2 Epidemiology bulletin

My understanding is the CDC article is saying this kind of contamination is theoretically possible and something to be aware of. That’s fine for them to share. The issue seems to be that the general public read this and misread the word “possible” instead for “will defiantly kill you.” Use common sense and try not to go to extremes. I feel the main issue is don’t drink old sun tea the same way you wouldn’t drink old milk. Is it possible to get sick from sun tea? Yes, but is it probable? No, not if it is consumed in a reasonable amount of time.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Nuka-Cola Quantum – Raspberry Citrus Soda

Nuka Cola Quantum
Advertisements
See how to make a fantastic Imitation of Quantum Soda

Nuka-Cola Quantum

5 from 1 vote Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

16

servings
Calories

130

kcal
Total time

15

minutes

This is my own raspberry and citrus soda themed after Nuka-Cola Quantum

Ingredients

  • Quantum Syrup
  • 2 cups 2 White Sugar

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Citric Acid

  • 10 oz 10 Hot Water

  • 1 tsp 1 Raspberry Extract

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Lemon Extract

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Orange Extract

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Blue Food Dye

  • Quantum Soda
  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Quantum Syrup

  • 8 oz 8 Soda Water or Tonic Water

Directions

  • How To Make Quantum Syrup
  • In a heat proof container combine sugar, citric acid, and hot water. Stir to dissolve.
  • Once the syrup cools, add the extracts and food coloring and store the syrup in the refrigerator.
  • How To Make Quantum Soda
  • Simply combine syrup and soda water or tonic water into a glass together.

Recipe Video

Nuka-Cola Quantum Recipe

I don’t know, but I’ve been told. Uranium ore is worth more than gold, and this drink is the perfect refresher while wandering the wasteland. Whether you are a lone wanderer or a sole survivor, Quantum will replenish your health and even give you a few stat boosts.

This differs from the official Bethesda Nuka-Cola Quantum recipe from their cookbook, but I like mine better. Mine is also much easier to make. For my recipe, I chose blue raspberry and citrus flavors. It tastes like a blue Jolly Rancher and is wonderful. I have a link to their book below if you want the official recipe.

In fallout lore, Rex Meacham invented Nuka Cola Quantum in 2076, a year before the Great War. While working for Nuka-Cola in weapons research, Rex discovered that the radioactive isotope strontium-90 made a great food additive and gave off a gentle blue glow.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade Soda – Recipe & History

Orgeat Lemonade Soda
Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade Soda

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

How to make a classic Sparkling Orgeat Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup

  • 1 oz 1 Orgeat

  • 8 oz 8 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except for the soda water.
  • Add one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Without a strainer, pour the chilled and aerated drink into a glass.
  • Top with soda water.

Featured Video

What Does The Orgeat Lemonade Taste Like?

The orgeat lemonade is a fantastic drink. The orgeat syrup adds a sweetness that offsets the tartness of the lemonade and gives it a wonderful nutty cherry flavor. Orgeat lemonade has been popular for almost 200 years and for good reason. It enhances the lemonade and makes for a drink that is more than the sum of its parts.

History Of The Orgeat Lemonade.

The oldest orgeat lemonade recipe I can find comes from the 1862 book “The Bartenders Guide” by Jerry Thomas. Listed as a temperance drink and has both a still water version and a sparking water soda version. Presently the orgeat lemonade is called a mocktail, but in the past, it was simply seen as a drink or soda. I personally hate the term mocktail because it’s clear alcoholics invented it. A Coke without rum is not a mocktail. It’s a soda. A person drinking orange juice is not drinking a mixer. They are drinking orange juice. When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and the term mocktail is an example of that. The oldest reference I found to an orgeat lemonade comes from an 1820 issue of “The Dublin Magazine,” where the author describes how a hotel he stayed at in Paris, France served orgeat lemonades. I wouldn’t be surprised if this drink originated in France, as orgeat (and later grenadine) was wildly popular in France during the 19th century and added to many drinks.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade – Recipe & History

Orgeat lemonade
Advertisements

Orgeat Lemonade

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make the 1862 Orgeat Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Juice

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup

  • 1 oz 1 Orgeat

  • 8 oz 8 Water

Directions

  • Technique: Tiki Dirty Pour
  • Combine all ingredients into a shaker with crushed ice.
  • Vigorously shake for 10 seconds.
  • Dirty pour the whole shaker into a glass. Crushed ice and all.

Featured Video

What Does The Orgeat Lemonade Taste Like?

The orgeat lemonade is a fantastic drink. The orgeat syrup adds a sweetness that offsets the tartness of the lemonade and gives it a wonderful nutty cherry flavor. Orgeat lemonade has been popular for almost 200 years and for good reason. It enhances the lemonade and makes for a drink that is more than the sum of its parts.

History Of The Orgeat Lemonade.

The oldest orgeat lemonade recipe I can find comes from the 1862 book “The Bartenders Guide” by Jerry Thomas. Listed as a temperance drink and has both a still water version and a sparking water soda version. Presently the orgeat lemonade is called a mocktail, but in the past, it was simply seen as a drink or soda. I personally hate the term mocktail because it’s clear alcoholics invented it. A Coke without rum is not a mocktail. It’s a soda. A person drinking orange juice is not drinking a mixer. They are drinking orange juice. When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and the term mocktail is an example of that. The oldest reference I found to an orgeat lemonade comes from an 1820 issue of “The Dublin Magazine,” where the author describes how a hotel he stayed at in Paris, France served orgeat lemonades. I wouldn’t be surprised if this drink originated in France, as orgeat (and later grenadine) was wildly popular in France during the 19th century and added to many drinks.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Matcha Tea – Recipe

Matcha
Advertisements

Matcha Tea

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: Japanese
Servings

1

servings
Calories

3

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make a matcha tea

Ingredients

  • 1/4 tsp 1/4 Matcha Powder

  • 2-3 oz 2-3 Hot Water

Directions

  • Technique: Whisking Method
  • Combine matcha powder and hot water in a tea bowl and whisk together till foam forms.
  • Technique: Shaking Method
  • Combine matcha powder and hot water in a BlenderBottle and shake for 10 seconds.

Featured Video

How Is Matcha Prepared

Matcha is traditionally whisked with hot water till foam forms at the top. A bamboo matcha whisk(chasen) and tea bowl(chawan) can be bought for around $30, and it works well, but I found shaking the drink in either an insulated thermos or plastic shaker bottle works better. The simple BlenderBottle, most people already have made the best matcha, and those only cost $10. Shake the drink as you would a cocktail and enjoy. Alternatively, the whisking method is simple too. Using the bamboo whisk, whisk the matcha in hot water till foam forms, and enjoy.

While traditional matcha is just matcha powder and hot water, mixing it with milk and sweeteners is popular today. Starbucks has a bunch of bright green matcha lattes and Frappuccinos, and many trendy tea stands sell matcha milk teas with boba. These drinks were my first exposure to matcha and personally turned me away from liking it. I thought I didn’t like matcha until I had traditional Japanese-style matcha. If you have never had plain traditional matcha, give it a try.

What Is The Difference Between Drinking Matcha vs Green Tea?

Matcha is generally considered healthier than green tea alone. It has all the same health benefits as regular green tea but at higher levels, since you also consume the tea leaf. There is more caffeine, vitamins E and B, zinc, and L-Theamine. The extra L-Theamine is the most significant benefit of drinking matcha over green tea. L-Theamine provides mental focus and alertness without additional energy. It has the cognitive benefits of a stimulant without being stimulating. Matcha contains around 25mg of L-Thamine, whereas green tea has about 5mg.

Eat Something Before Drinking Matcha

I learned this the hard way, but drinking matcha on an empty stomach first thing in the morning will make you vomit. I don’t eat breakfast. I typically drink a couple of cups of coffee after I wake up and eat around 11 or 12. It’s not for everyone, but It’s how my body works. I tried replacing coffee with matcha one morning, and 30 minutes later, I vomited. I took to Reddit and asked my fellow r/tea folks if this was normal, and the overwhelming response to how I consumed it was yes. Matcha is very high in tannins, and it can be too much for your body to handle on an empty stomach. Mixing matcha into a latte helps, but eating something beforehand is necessary. Please don’t do what I did.

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Arnold Palmer – Classic Recipe & History

Arnold Palmer
Advertisements

Arnold Palmer

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

100

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make a classic Arnold Palmer

Ingredients

  • 5 oz 5 Lemonade

  • 5 oz 5 Iced Tea

Directions

  • Technique: Simple Combination
  • Add ice to a glass.
  • Simply combine the ingredients and stir to combine and cool the drink.

Featured Video

History Of The Arnold Palmer Drink/Temperance Lemon Tea

The official Arnold Palmer website states the Arnold Palmer was first invented in the late 1960s when a customer overheard the famous golfer order a mix of lemonade and iced tea. The customer said they would have what Arnold Palmer ordered, and thus, the drink was invented. These neatly packaged and simple origin stories are often false and created without knowing how something came to be. Perhaps this did happen, but I cannot find any reference to mixed lemonade and iced tea being called an Arnold Palmer till the early 1990s. Mixed lemonade and iced tea drinks date back to American prohibition. In the 1922 book Home-Made Beverages and American Drinks by M.E. Steedman, Lemon Tea is the equal mix of lemonade and iced tea. In a 1954 Life Magazine advertisement, Sunkist states that American children prefer the taste of Sunkist lemonade to others and that it tastes great mixed with iced tea. So did Arnold Palmer invent the drink? Of course not, but his name has become synonymous with the mix of lemonade and iced tea.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Horchata De Chufa – 1874 Tiger Nut Horchata Recipe

Tiger Nut Horchata
Advertisements

Horchata De Chufa

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: Spanish
Servings

1

servings
Calories

120

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make old-fashioned tiger nut horchata.

Ingredients

  • 1 oz 1 Tiger Nut Flour

  • 10 oz 10 Water

Directions

  • Technique: Tiki Dirty Pour
  • Combine all ingredients into a shaker with crushed ice.
  • Vigorously shake for 10 seconds.
  • Dirty pour the whole shaker into a glass. Crushed ice and all.

Featured Video

Tiger Nut Horchata

The most common type of horchata is rice horchata, often called Mexican, but tiger nut horchata is popular in Spain. If you have never had a tiger nut, they are small little root tubers from the yellow nutsedge plant and are more similar to potatoes than tree nuts. They are fantastic to eat and taste like a mix between coconut and pecan. They are sold dry and can be rehydrated to eat straight, but they can be bought as ground-up tiger nut flour for making Horchata. The process for turning them into horchata is the same as rice, but they make for a horchata with a muskier and more earthy-tasting flavor than rice.

The History Of Horchata

I will start by saying I am not a doctor, and you should consult a professional for medical advice. The information that follows is from a historical perspective. Horchata-style drinks originated in ancient Greece as a drink called “Kykeōn” (Greek. κυκεών) which means to stir or mix. Kykeōn was a drink made by stirring barley flour and water to make a simple health drink. The Romans adopted the Greek barley and water health drink and called it “Hordeum,” which is the origin of the present-day word Horchata. As the Roman language splintered, the Occitan dialect would refer to barley water as “Orjat,” which is where the French term Orgeat comes from. The Italian dialect would use the word “Orzata,” and the Castilian/Spanish dialect used “Orchata.” Since this is typically a Spanish drink, I will use the Spanish word Horchata to refer to this style of drink and its many variations from here on.

Horchata traditionally was only barley flour dissolved in cold water. It was seen as a tonic/health drink that anyone could make at home without a technical understanding of measuring and extracting medicines from various medicinal plants. Essentially any mother or nanny could make this for a sick child. They didn’t have to be a pharmacist to be able to make it effective and safe. As other starchy mineral-rich food became more common, they were ground up and mixed with water to create new styles of horchata. Horchata de arroz (Rice horchata), Horchata de chufas (Tiger nut horchata), lentil horchata, carrot stem, rye, foxglove, etc. (Although, unlike the others, foxglove can be dangerous.) and regular barley water horchata became known as common horchata or “Horchata Comun.” These drinks are similar because they are mineral-rich, starchy drinks that can easily be made by stirring the ground flour with cold water. Today the most common horchata is rice horchata, which is seen as more of a fun, sweet summer drink than a healthy drink. Traditional barley water is still a healthy drink, while the others have mostly fallen off. Tiger nut horchata is still prevalent in Spain too. Rice horchata typically has sugar and spices added for flavor, but its oldest form was just rice flour and water.

Horchata In English

Horchata doesn’t translate to English as it doesn’t exist outside of Spanish influence in English cultures. Even in English, it’s just horchata. The oldest kind of horchata was made from barley, so the English equivalent would be barley water. Therefore the closest match of horchata made from rice would be rice milk, horchata made from tiger nuts would be tiger nut milk, and horchata made from grains and cereal would be oat milk.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Horchata De Arroz – 1874 Rice Horchata Recipe

Mexican Horchata
Advertisements

Horchata De Arroz

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: Spanish
Servings

1

servings
Calories

40

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make old-fashioned 1800s-style rice horchata. Seen as a quick and easy health drink in the past, they were not sweet or flavored as they are today.

Ingredients

  • 1/8 tsp 1/8 Ground Cinnamon (Optional)

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Simple Syrup (Optional)

  • 1 oz 1 Rice Flour

  • 10 oz 10 Cold Water

Directions

  • Technique: Tiki Dirty Pour
  • Combine all ingredients into a shaker with crushed ice. Optionally add ground cinnamon for flavor and simple syrup for sweetness.
  • Vigorously shake for 10 seconds.
  • Dirty pour the whole shaker into a glass. Crushed ice and all.

Featured Video

Rice Horchata

While there are other kinds of horchata, horchata made from rice are the most popular and common. So much so that most people don’t even know different types of horchata exist. In its most basic form, horchata de arroz (rice) is rice flour blended with cold water. See the history of horchata below for more information. This horchata has no spices or added sugar and was once considered a healthy drink. Presently horchata is more of a sweet summer dessert-like drink that no longer retains its older healthy image. I live in the southwest, where horchata is very popular at Mexican restaurants, and here we think of horchata de arroz as Mexican horchata. Many Mexican recipes have cream, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. These are cooked and are very sweet. That is different from the kind of recipe I have here. The recipe and method I am providing are how horchata was prepared in the 19th and 18th centuries.

The History Of Horchata

I will start by saying I am not a doctor, and you should consult a professional for medical advice. The information that follows is from a historical perspective. Horchata-style drinks originated in ancient Greece as a drink called “Kykeōn” (Greek. κυκεών) which means to stir or mix. Kykeōn was a drink made by stirring barley flour and water to make a simple health drink. The Romans adopted the Greek barley and water health drink and called it “Hordeum,” which is the origin of the present-day word Horchata. As the Roman language splintered, the Occitan dialect would refer to barley water as “Orjat,” which is where the French term Orgeat comes from. The Italian dialect would use the word “Orzata,” and the Castilian/Spanish dialect used “Orchata.” Since this is typically a Spanish drink, I will use the Spanish word Horchata to refer to this style of drink and its many variations from here on.

Horchata traditionally was only barley flour dissolved in cold water. It was seen as a tonic/health drink that anyone could make at home without a technical understanding of measuring and extracting medicines from various medicinal plants. Essentially any mother or nanny could make this for a sick child. They didn’t have to be a pharmacist to be able to make it effective and safe. As other starchy mineral-rich food became more common, they were ground up and mixed with water to create new styles of horchata. Horchata de arroz (Rice horchata), Horchata de chufas (Tiger nut horchata), lentil horchata, carrot stem, rye, foxglove, etc. (Although, unlike the others, foxglove can be dangerous.) and regular barley water horchata became known as common horchata or “Horchata Comun.” These drinks are similar because they are mineral-rich, starchy drinks that can easily be made by stirring the ground flour with cold water. Today the most common horchata is rice horchata, which is seen as more of a fun, sweet summer drink than a healthy drink. Traditional barley water is still a healthy drink, while the others have mostly fallen off. Tiger nut horchata is still prevalent in Spain too. Rice horchata typically has sugar and spices added for flavor, but its oldest form was just rice flour and water.

Horchata In English

Horchata doesn’t translate to English as it doesn’t exist outside of Spanish influence in English cultures. Even in English, it’s just horchata. The oldest kind of horchata was made from barley, so the English equivalent would be barley water. Therefore the closest match of horchata made from rice would be rice milk, horchata made from tiger nuts would be tiger nut milk, and horchata made from grains and cereal would be oat milk.

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements

Lemon Cream Soda – Old Fashioned Recipe

Lemon Cream Soda
Advertisements

Lemon Cream Soda

0 from 0 votes Only logged in users can rate recipes
Course: DrinksCuisine: American
Servings

1

servings
Calories

60

kcal
Total time

3

minutes

Learn how to make an old fashion lemon cream soda

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz 1.5 Lemon Syrup

  • 1/2 oz 1/2 Vanilla Cream Syrup

  • 8 oz 8 Soda Water

Directions

  • Technique: Saxe Soda Shake
  • Combine syrup and vanilla cream syrup in a cocktail shaker.
  • dd one medium or two small ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake until the ice fully melts.
  • Pour the chilled and aerated syrup into a collins glass without a strainer.
  • Slowly pour the soda water down into the top of the drink. This will build both body and a foam head.

Featured Video

What Does A Lemon Cream Soda Taste Like?

The lemon cream soda is fantastic and tastes like a lemon custard pie. The mild tartness of the lemons blends perfectly with the sweet vanilla cream syrup. And using homemade fresh lemon syrup provides a complex and deep lemon flavor that artificial lemon syrups can’t match.

How To Make Lemon Syrup

A basic lemon syrup is made of:

  • 2 cups Lemon Juice
  • 2 cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Lemon Extract

You can add two optional ingredients: 1/4 tsp citric acid and 3 grams lecithin powder. The citric acid adds additional acid and lemon flavor that helps retain the lemon flavor once the syrup is diluted. While it doesn’t affect the flavor, a small amount of yellow food coloring helps with the appearance of the soda. Simply add 3 drops of yellow food dye to 3 cups of lemon syrup. The lecithin powder acts as an emulsifier and a foaming agent. It helps add a nice stable foam head to your soda or cocktails. For more information about old fashion homemade lemon syrup check out my full article

How To Make Vanilla Cream Syrup

A nice vanilla cream syrup is:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

How To Get A Nice Foam On Your Sodas.

It was typical for high-end sodas in the late 1800s to have a nice foam on top. Similar to high-end molecular gastronomy restaurants today, a nice soda fountain would ensure that some drinks had an air or foam on top as you sipped your drink. The foam provides both a creamy texture and olfactory stimulation. These were called foaming agents, and in the 1800s, soap bark or other extracts were added to syrups to provide foam when shaken and mixed with soda water. A popular one today in the United States is propylene glycol, and while it is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the US, it is banned for consumption in the EU. Another modern alternative, and the one I use, is adding lecithin to my syrups. Lecithin is flavor neutral, a natural emulsifier that provides a nice foam, and is often taken as a health supplement. It is also the foaming agent many high-end restaurants use to make foams for food. So I’ll add 0.5% of the total syrups weight of lecithin powder to my syrups as a foaming agent. Check out my vanilla cream syrup recipe for exactly how that is done.

If you want to learn more about this topic and make your drinks better, check out De Forest Saxe’s 1894 book “Saxe’s New Guide Hints to Soda Water Dispensers.”

Recipe Resources

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements

Discover More Classics

Advertisements