BEST Summer Drink
One of my goals in life is to have a cookbook. I have been mastering, tweaking, and writing my own recipes for years now, so I’m just throwing that out there to the universe. It’ll happen now. That’s how it works, right? Say it out loud, and it’ll come true? Or is it the other way around? Yikes. Guess we’ll find out.
Rhett served a 2 year mission for our Church in Brazil and therefore loves Brazilian food. I am right there with him, but being gluten and dairy free makes things extra “fun” when we eat out. Luckily, there’s not a lot of gluten in most Brazilian dishes, but sweetened condensed milk is ever-present, which is a no-go for me. If you’ve ever enjoyed a meal at a Brazilian steak house, you may have come across “Brazilian Lemonade”. The first time I tasted it, I fell in love. Fun fact: it’s made with limes, not lemons and most Latin countries don’t distinguish between the two- it’s just “limón” across the board. This vegan recipe (sans-sweet milk) has taken lots of testing over the years to achieve that perfect slightly creamy, tangy-yet-sweet balance and I hope you love it as much as we do.
The ONE thing you MUST keep in mind with this recipe is NOT to over blend! I can’t stress it enough. 10-15 seconds in the blender is all you need, or else it will be bitter and unpalatable. Quick, easy, refreshing, and a definite crowd-pleaser. One recipe down!
Lauren’s Vegan
Brazilian Limón-ade
3 quarts water, divided
2 cups sugar
10 limes - 2 halved and 8 cut into quarters
1 can full fat coconut milk (not lite)
Ice
In a 2-gallon pitcher, add 2 quarts of water and the sugar, stir until dissolved. Squeeze the juice of the two halved limes into the pitcher and set aside.
Add the coconut milk and 1 quart of water to the blender along with the remaining lime sections. Blend for NO MORE THAN 15 seconds (the more you blend, the more bitter it will turn out).
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the mixture from the blender into the pitcher.
Stir, add ice, and serve right away!
Note: This drink is best enjoyed soon after it’s made. Once it sits in the fridge overnight the oils from the blended lime peels turn bitter and make it less enjoyable next day.