Mint Lemonade

Icy limonana blended from fresh lemon, mint and a cooled sugar syrup for a bright, frothy drink without bitter leaf fragments.

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The key to mint lemonade is cold ingredients and very brief blending. Long blending bruises the mint and grinds lemon pith, turning a clean drink dark and bitter.

Ingredients

• 160 g Caster sugar
• 200 ml Water (for syrup)
• 300 ml Fresh lemon juice (from about 7 lemons, strained)
• 700 ml Cold water
• 45 g Fresh mint leaves (washed and well dried)
• 0.125 tsp Fine salt (a small pinch)
• 500 g Ice cubes (divided)
• 6 Lemon slices (to serve, optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Put sugar and syrup water in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring only until clear; do not caramelize. Pour into a jug and cool completely.
2. Juice the lemons without pressing hard into the white pith, then strain out seeds and pulp. Measure 300 ml so the sweetness ratio remains reliable.
3. Put cooled syrup, lemon juice, cold water, mint, salt and half the ice in a blender. Keep the remaining ice for serving.
4. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, only until the mint is finely flecked and a pale foam forms. Over-blending makes the mint taste grassy.
5. Taste immediately. Add cold water for sharpness or a little extra syrup for sweetness; remember serving ice will dilute the drink.
6. For a smoother drink, pass through a coarse sieve without pressing hard. Leave unstrained if you prefer the bright green mint flecks.
7. Fill six glasses with reserved ice, pour at once and garnish with optional lemon. Stir the jug before refilling because foam rises and mint settles.