Maple Limeade

By Marlenew

Freshly squeezed lime juice, water and maple syrup for a magical beverage.

Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 10 limes)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• Pinch kosher salt
• 3 1/2 cups water (preferably filtered, which has a cleaner flavor)
• Ice
• Lime slices (optional)

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

Strain the lime juice through a fine-mesh strainer, if desired. Place the lime juice, maple syrup, and salt in a pitcher, and stir to combine. Add the water and stir. Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving. If desired, serve with ice and slice of lime.

Recipe notes: Refrigerate for up to one week. To make ahead, combine the lime juice, maple syrup and salt to make limeade concentrate. Freeze in ice cube trays until solid. When ready to use, move the frozen cubes of limeade concentrate to a pitcher. Add 1 cup of warm water, and stir until the cubes melt. Pour in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of cold water, stir and chill.
(add'l info in place of squeezing the limes)
Quarter the limes, pile them into the bowl of your mixer and then use the paddle attachment to mix the lemon quarters on low speed. The paddle naturally squishes the quarters, releasing their juices and the natural oils from the skins. Beat for about 2 minutes and then strain the juice.

A pinch of kosher salt highlights the caramel flavor of the maple syrup, making this drink more than just a lip-puckering punch. Serving the drink over ice also helps cut the sour flavor, because the beverage will mellow as the ice melts. Alternatively, you can add an extra 1/2 cup of water if you drink it straight from the fridge.