Strawberry Lemonade, A Refreshingly "Dry" Drink

This drink is perfect for when you have a glut of delicious strawberries and citrus fruit like lemons. Although it is now Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, citrus like grapefruit is abundant and the cold fighting vitamin C properties couldn't come at a better time. But if you're living in the Northern Hemisphere enjoying balmy days and nights this is also in season for you using whatever citrus and ripe berries you have to hand. This is a "dry" drink more in line with today's trend for less sweet drinks making it better for you as well as easier to quench the thirst!

I'm almost embarrassed to put this up as a recipe because it is so simple but once I tried it I was quite smitten. It's just the right amount of sweetness for me but you still get a lovely tang from the lemons and grapefruit. I like refreshment but not lip puckering and this is nicely tempered by the sweet rubied glow of the sliced strawberries. See those two glasses in the pic? Mr NQN downed them quickly before fishing out the berries and smacking his lips. It might even make it into our daily drinks list.

You see Mr NQN and I have this procedure when it comes to dinner time. I cook while Mr NQN makes a drink for us. For a non alcoholic drink it's a super simple mixture of soda water and cloudy apple juice that we just call an apple fizz. Except we like our ratios quite different.

Mr NQN likes about 90% apple juice and 10% soda water. I like 30% apple juice and 70% soda. I like my drinks "dry" while he likes his super sweet (he has a much bigger sweet tooth than I do). I also like less sugar because I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. As for him, he does this thing called exercise that means that he can both eat and drink calories. While I think it's a bit unfair, I don't feel that it's unfair enough for me to take up fervent exercise ;)

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like drinks that are "dry" or do you prefer sweeter drinks? Do you tend to drink or eat your calories?

Strawberry Citrusade

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes plus 15 minutes steeping time (you can steep the fruit for up to a few hours in the fridge)

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Makes 1 litre/2 pints

• 500g/1.1lbs strawberries, sliced (keep some whole to place on glass rims if you like)
• 1/2 cup - 2/3cup/80g-100g/3-3.5ozs cup icing of powdered sugar
• 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs citrus juice (I used a mix of grapefruit and lemon juices)
• 3 cups/750ml/26flozs soda water or still water

Step 1 - In a large serving jug steep the strawberries in the citrus juice adding the icing or powdered sugar. Steep for anything from 15 minutes up to a few hours (if it's a few hours put the jug in the fridge).

Step 2 - Whisk the bottom so that any sugar dissolves and then top with the soda water just before serving.