Sweetness and light: cool even the hottest of days with our easy-to-make fruit drinks - includes recipes

Vegetarian Times, August, 1995 by Carol Wiley Lorente

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, my favorite summertime event--except of course for the vacation from school--was the county fair. But it wasn't the carnival rides, the barkers or the games of chance that I was so fond of--it was the lemonade stands.

To a card-carrying member of the Kool-Aid generation, a fresh lemonade in the middle of a hot, dusty August afternoon was like no other treat. The combination of a couple of lemon halves, sugar, water and ice cubes, shaken not stirred, served unceremoniously in a paper cup, never failed to quench my thirst.

Fresh lemonade has continued to be my own private Proustian delight. I still order it at every carnival or street fair, but along the way, I've also discovered the joys of sipping fresh limeade on a friend's porch, devouring a frozen strawberry slush after cutting the grass, or drinking a fruity milkshake on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

There's no secret to making scrumptious summer drinks; food writer Lillian Kayte has developed about a dozen of them for you to try. Most can be ready in less than 10 minutes, so you never have to wait long for your own evocative experience.

The Original Homemade Lemonade

If you've only had lemonade from a mix, you've never had real lemonade. "Fresh" has never meant as much as in this original version of a timeless summer cooler.

7 large lemons, preferably organic,

washed and dried

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

Pinch salt

Very cold water

Fresh mint or spearmint for garnish

(optional)

REMOVE ZEST from 2 lemons. Julienne zest; set aside. Thinly slice another lemon; set aside. Juice remaining 6 lemons.

In a heavy saucepan, combine zest, sugar, water and salt; simmer over low heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Strain syrup; cool. Pour into a 5- or 6-cup non-reactive container. Stir in reserved lemon juice, cover and chill.

To SERVE: Place 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon syrup in a tall glass. Add a few ice cubes, a lemon slice and very cold water. Stir, garnish with mint and serve. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

PER SERVING: 160 CAL.; 0.2G PROT.; 0 FAT; 42G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 1MG SOD.; 1G FIBER. VEGAN

Rhubarb Tea

This is a delicious way to enjoy fresh or frozen rhubarb. It's a variation on an old Shaker recipe, another example of the Shaker philosophy that dictates nothing is wasted.

4 cups diced unpeeled rhubarb, or

20-oz. bag frozen cut rhubarb

4 cups water

Zest of 1 small lemon (see glossary)

Zest of 1 small orange (see glossary)

3/4 to 1 cup sugar, or to taste

Ice cubes

IN A SAUCEPAN, cover rhubarb with water; simmer until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain into a large bowl or pitcher; discard rhubarb. Add sugar and zest to rhubarb liquid; stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill thoroughly. Serve over ice. Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 139 CAL.; 0 PROT.; 0 FAT; 37G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 0 SOD.; 0.2G FIBER. VEGAN

Spiced Grape Julep

This sounds like a kids' drink, but the spices give it an adult twist.

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 whole cinnamon sticks

10 whole cloves

8 cups bottled or reconstituted

frozen grape juice, chilled

1 small lemon, thinly sliced and

seeded

IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN, combine sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. Heat to a very slow simmer; cover and steep over the lowest possible heat to make syrup, about 20 minutes; strain and chill.

Just before serving, stir syrup and grape juice together. Fill tall glasses with ice, then fill with spiced juice and a slice of lemon. Makes 8 servings.

PER SERVING: 179 CAL.; 1G PROT.; 0.3G FAT; 45G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 6MG SOD.; 0.9G FIBER. VEGAN

Orange-Berry Frappe

This is a gorgeous drink that looks like a sunset on the horizon. And when the flavors burst in your mouth, it tastes like it as well.

2 cups orange sherbet

3 cups cold water

1 1/2 cups unsweetened frozen

strawberries

2 Tbs. brown rice syrup or barley

malt, or to taste (see glossary)

COMBINE SHERBET and 2 cups water in a blender; process until smooth. Divide mixture among 6 tall, slender glasses.

Without rinsing blender, combine strawberries, sweetener and remaining 1 cup water; blend until smooth. Pour slowly over back of a spoon on top of orange mixture or swirl in strawberry mixture to obtain a colorful effect. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: 119 CAL.; 1G PROT.; 1G FAT; 27G CARB.; 5MG CHOL.; 30MG SOD.; 0.8G FIBER. LACTO

Watermelon Kebab Cooler

Feel free to experiment with the new seedless or yellow varieties of watermelon for this cooler.

5 to 6 cups ripe watermelon,

enough to make 4 cups juice

Brown rice syrup or barley malt

syrup to taste (optional; see

glossary)

Juice of 1 lime

8 1-inch cubes seeded watermelon

4 8-inch wooden skewers

Slices of lime or sprigs of mint for

garnish (optional)

JUICE WATERMELON in a juicer, food processor or blender. Add syrup to taste, if desired, and lime juice. Chill.

Spear two watermelon cubes on each skewer. Place a kebab in each of 4 tall glasses.

Fill glass with watermelon juice and garnish with a mint sprig or a slice of lime. Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 92 CAL.; 2G PROT.; 1G FAT; 21G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 6MG SOD.; 1G FIBER. VEGAN

Quick Banana-Strawberry Frappe

When bananas are heavily flecked with brown, markets sometimes pile them up and reduce the price. That's the time to buy them, because the riper the better for this quick and easy frappe.