Water is the basic ingredient for all refreshing drinks, as well as being essential for good health. But water alone can be a little dull, so here are some traditional methods to satisfy your tastebuds while quenching your thirst.
Drinks should quench your thirst and refresh you without sending your blood glucose soaring. Commercially produced drinks often contain too much sugar, so borrow your grandmother’s recipe book and make your own.
COFFEE
- The amount of coffee you need will depend on personal taste, water quality and the type of coffee maker you are using. Generally, when using a filter coffee maker, allow about 1 tablespoon of coffee per cup (250ml) of water. With hard water, which contains lime, use more coffee.
- Store coffee beans in a dry, cool, dark location and keep them in a lightly closed container or they will go stale.
- Store vacuum-packed ground coffee for several months if unopened. Once opened, keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
- Ground coffee loses its flavour quickly and should be used within 6 months.
- Use a coffee grinder or spice mill to make freshly ground coffee.
TEA
After water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. The term “herbal tea” usually refers to an infusion of leaves, flowers, fruit, herbs or other plant material that doesn’t include traditional tea leaves.
- Infuse black tea leaves with boiling water and then steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain before serving.
- Steep green tea in hot water at 80℃ for only 2 minutes.
- When water has a high lime content, use strong tea blends or run the water through a filter.
- Store tea in a dry container with a tight-fitting lid. Special metal or porcelain containers and opaque bags are ideal for this.
- Don’t keep opened packets of tea in the refrigerator. The sensitive leaves can be damaged by fluctuations in humidity.
- For long-term storage, place unopened tea in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.
- Always store the same type of tea in a container, as tea will quickly pick up other flavours, which can ruin its subtle nuances.
- Make delicious herbal teas with rosehips or mint. Depending on the season you can boost their flavour: in summer, use lemon or lime peel (mint); in winter, use cinnamon or cloves (rosehip).
FOR HOT DAYS
Iced tea is a wonderfully thirst-quenching drink for hot days and easy to make.
1. Brew 3-4 teaspoons of tea leaved in 1 litres of water and let it steep for 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the juice of 1½ lemon, sweeten to taste, and then strain over about 25 ice cubes. The tea cools quickly and doesn’t become bitter.
3. Flavour it according to taste with apple juice, fruit nectar, citrus fruit or min leaves.
HOMEMADE LEMONADE
There’s nothing quite like the flavour of traditional homemade lemonade, which is refreshing and often healthier than shop-bought versions.
1. Boil the zest of 6 organic lemons with 280g sugar and about 500ml water. Simmer for a few minutes, cool and then add the juice from the lemons
2. Strain the lemonade concentrate and pour it into a glass jug. Fill it up with ice cubes and cold water.
Honey, ginger or rosewater will give lemonade a highly original flavour.
Limes and oranges can be also be used to make equally refreshing drinks.
HEALTHY FRUIT DRINKS
- Get more vitamins and minerals into your diet by drinking freshly made fruit juices or whipping up thick and frothy smoothies from frozen fruit.
- Make a delicious fruit drink by cutting up your choice of fruits and whizzing them in a blender with the juice of half a lemon, together with 55-115g sugar. Adjust the amount according to the fruit used and the sugar content of the juice.
- For a berry punch that will serve about 15 people, put 1kg of raspberries and strawberries, the juice of a lemon an d1.5 litres of mixed fruit juices into a punch bowl and cool for several hours, stirring from time to time. Shortly before serving, add two bottles of mineral water, followed by ice cubes.
- Keep your punch cold by freezing slices of citrus fruits and using them in place of ice cubes.
- Blend frozen fruit such as bananas, strawberries, milk and a touch of honey to make a frothy smoothie.
GOOD TO KNOW: COFFEE SUBSTITUTE & CHICORY COFFEE
In times of crisis, when coffee was too expensive or simply unavailable, people often drank substitutes made from dandelion or chicory roots, or used them to stretch out their real coffee. When people turn to such substitutes now. It’s usually for health reasons. Coffee made from chicory is more easily digested, caffeine-free and contain fewer tooth-staining tannins than coffee beans.
Explore more refreshing and reinvigorating beverages. Visit Australia’s award-winning cafes today for your next cup or glass of something special to drink.