Drinks to quench your thirst

SUNNY ROUGE

This bright orange mocktail with a dash of scarlet seeping in from the bottom screams summer in the most delectable way possible. Filled with the goodness of summer fruits and berries such as mango, strawberry, and raspberry, this mocktail will make your taste buds go wild. It is easy to put together, tastes absolutely incredible, and looks great too.

Ingredients

For the berry layer —

1 cup crushed ice

¾ cup strawberries

¾ cup raspberries

1 tbsp lime juice

For the mango layer —

¾ cup mango puree

1½ cups orange juice

1 tsp orange essence 

For the berry simple syrup —

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

½ cup strawberries

½ cup raspberries

Method

Start by making the berry simple syrup. In a saucepan, add sugar and water in equal amounts and allow it to heat on medium-high. Wait for it to come to a simmer before adding the berries, and continue to cook this until the berries start to bubble and burst. Once in that stage, remove from heat and strain the mixture to get a clear, crimson syrup. You can also store this in the refrigerator for later use.

To make the berry layer, blend the strawberries and raspberries along with freshly squeezed lime juice to attain a smooth purée. Add a tablespoon of the prepared berry simple syrup to this so that you are left with a thick and gloopy berry mixture.

Next, in a blender, blend together the stated amounts of mango purée and orange juice along with orange essence and a teaspoon of the berry simple syrup. This should have the consistency of a diluted, but thick orange juice.

In a tall serving glass, add crushed ice followed by the berry mixture. On top of that, slowly pour in the orange and mango mixture with the help of the back of a spoon, so that the layers are not distorted. For an appealing presentation, attach lemon wedges to the rim of your glass and drop in a twisted straw for a fun look.          

PINEAPPLE COCONUT MINT JUICE

This refreshing pineapple coconut mint juice recipe is the ideal summer drink to chill with. Made with only a handful of ingredients that are easily available, especially during this season, it brings out the best results with minimal effort. The combination of coconut, pineapple, and mint gives this a juice a refreshing and dewy flavour that has a fruity aftertaste.

Ingredients

1 cup chunks of fresh pineapple

2 cups coconut water

1 tbsp palm sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

2 tbsp chopped mint leaves 

Method

Start by preparing the pineapple — remove the bottom and leaves from atop and then cautiously cut the thick skin. Carefully remove the pineapple eyes and core so that you are left with a hollow cylinder of fresh and cored pineapple.

Slice this into four large quarters and then cut them into bite-size chunks. Using freshly cut pineapple is very crucial in this recipe in order to attain that dewy flavour. Take out 1 cup of pineapple chunks from here for the juice. To prepare the mint leaves, wash them properly and chop a handful of mint leaves to attain 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves. 

In a blender, add the freshly cut pineapple chunks along with palm sugar and a splash of water just to get the blender whizzing. Once the pineapple is blended into a smooth paste, pour in freshly squeezed lime juice along with lime zest and mint leaves. Churn these to combine well. Finally, add in the coconut water and get the blender moving for the last time, whizzing it for about a minute.

Once ready, strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve to catch any leftover pineapple bits and to retrieve a clear pineapple juice. Once poured, the finished product should be a bilayer juice with a sunshine yellow translucent bottom layer and a frothy surface. Serve cold and garnish with mint leaves on top.

Photo and Food: Fariha Amber