This Jamaican lemonade recipe which is actually made from limes is so refreshing and perfect to quench your thirst during those hot summer days.
If you're from the islands then you will already know that the title of this recipe and the description is no mistake.
Yes, Jamaicans and in fact other Caribbean islands refer to what should be known as limeade as lemonade, wash or sugar and water if you're from the country.
I don't know the full back story as to why this is, my guess is something to do with accessibility to limes. Unfortunately, the women in my family never explained why that was either.
I just grew up referring to it as this without question. Mind you, us Caribbean people are known for our unique vocabulary including pear=avocado and peas= legumes and beans etc...
Back in the day, we would prepare our lemonade by pressing the lime onto a juice extractor to collect the juicy only.
Then we would add it to some water, stir in the brown sugar and pour the juice usually at a height in a back and fourth motion into another jug until the sugar dissolved.
The modern version
Nowadays, I don't do that in fact I've started to embrace modern technology for some of these old school recipes.
Presently, I chop up the lime long with a lemon, add it to a blender with hot water and sweetener (so it dissolves then strain off any excess pulp and top up the concentrated lime juice with more water.
For me, this works out just fine, it's quicker then using my extractor and tastes exactly how I know it from my childhood.
The steps
- Remove the ends from the lime/lemon then cut off the outer peel, discard the peel and place the fruit in a small bowl.
- Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of hot water into a blender along with the raw cane sugar (you may want to add more later).
- Make sure the lid is secure as you are dealing with HOT water then carefully blitz the lime/sugar/water into a smooth consistency.
- Grab a large bowl with a fine mesh strain/cheesecloth placed over it and pour the contents from the blender into it.
- Discard whatever excess is left in the strainer.
- Pour 5 cups of cold water into the large bowl and stir.
- If the lemonade is slightly warm, simply allow to completely cool.
- Do a taste test in case you want to add more sugar, if so simply dissolve the amount you desire into a very small amount of hot water before adjusting the sweetness/taste.
Notes and tips
- The amount of sweetness is subjective and according to your preference. I used about ¾ cup which resulted in a subtle sweetness but I don't like extremely sweet lemonade.
- You can use another type of sweetener I used organic raw sugar because it still has it's nutrients intact unlike brown. For a low GI index sweetener use unrefined maple syrup, agave or coconut sugar/nectar.
- For a more potent lemonade simply add more limes.
- I like to add some lemon to balance the flavours but you can use sour orange (ulgi fruit for Jamaicans) or even ginger.
- Keep the lemonade refrigerated until serving.
- It should serve about 4-6 large glasses.
- Drink the lemonade within a few days of making it (we usually drink it immediately, so I don't know the longevity.)
More Caribbean drinks to try
- Jamaican Ginger Beer
- June Plum Juice
- Mauby Drink
- Guinep Juice
- Soupsop Punch
- Jamaican Carrot Juice
- Sea Moss Drink
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Jamaican Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3 limes
- 1 lemon
- 3 cups hot water (700ml)
- sweetener to taste see notes
- 5 cups cold water (1.18 litres)
Instructions
- Remove the ends from the lime/lemon then cut off the outer peel, discard the peel and place the fruit in a small bowl.
- Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of hot water into a blender along with the raw cane sugar (you may want to add more later).
- Make sure the lid is secure as you are dealing with HOT water then carefully blitz the lime/sugar/water into a smooth consistency.
- Grab a large bowl with a fine mesh strain/cheesecloth placed over it and pour the contents from the blender into it.
- Discard whatever excess is left in the strainer.
- Pour 5 cups of cold water into the large bowl and stir.
- If the lemonade is slightly warm, simply allow to completely cool.
- Do a taste test in case you want to add more sugar, if so simply dissolve the amount you desire into a very small amount of hot water before adjusting the sweetness/taste.
Video
Notes
- The amount of sweetness is subjective and according to your preference. I used about ¾ cup which resulted in a subtle sweetness but I don't like extremely sweet lemonade.
- You can use another type of sweetener I used organic raw sugar because it still has it's nutrients intact unlike brown. For a low GI index sweetener use unrefined maple syrup, agave or coconut sugar/nectar.
- For a more potent lemonade simply add more limes.
- I like to add some lemon to balance the flavours but you can use sour orange (ulgi fruit for Jamaicans) or even ginger.
- Keep the lemonade refrigerated until serving.
- It should serve about 4-6 large glasses.
- Drink the lemonade within a few days of making it (we usually drink it immediately, so I don't know the longevity.)
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