More Delicious Summer Recipes - Easy Fresh Fruit Juice Coolers

I can't help myself...in the course of my unpacking, I have unearthed my granny's recipe folders, along with her much-used and now, almost cover-less cookbook. Browsing through the yellowing pages, I keep finding old favorites and, on careful re-reading, new ones.

Sitting by the wide-open window, my kitty and I are desperate for any shred of breeze to alleviate the heat we're now experiencing, while living on salad and cool, iced drinks. Even the cat enjoys a few ice cubes in her water dish to cool her furry self.

These summer fresh fruit coolers sound so refreshingly delicious that I can't resist sharing them. Until I unearth my blender though, I shall have to be content with writing about them. Not only are these juices and berries healthful and chock full of vitamins, especially Vitamin C, and anti-oxidants, they are, quite simply, delicious.

Many of the delicious 'ades (fruit drinks) and punches use sugar syrup, but you can easily substitute honey instead of the processed sweetener.

Sugar Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Boil sugar and water together for 10 minutes

Chill and store in fridge for use in fruit drinks

Pineapple Punch

• 1 cup fresh, unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 cups Club Soda or Ginger Ale
• 1/2 cup strawberries, washed and hulled

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar; set aside

Fill 2 tall glasses with cracked ice

Divide strawberries between the glasses and add half the pineapple juice to each

Stir to disperse the juice and berries among the ice pieces

Fill with Club Soda or Ginger Ale

Garnish with a sprig of mint

Fruit Punch

• 1 cup sugar syrup (or to taste)
• 1 cup extra strong black tea, cooled
• Freshly squeezed juice of 5 lemons, plus grated rind of 1 lemon
  
• Freshly squeezed juice of 6 oranges, plus grated rind of 2 oranges
• 2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple, and its juice (or 2 cups fresh or frozen juice)
• 1 cup minced fresh strawberries (or 1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed, mashed, with their juice)
• 2 liters Club Soda or Ginger Ale
  

Combine all ingredients except Club Soda or Ginger Ale in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour

Strain and pour over cracked ice in a punch bowl

Add Club Soda or Ginger Ale and serve in cold glasses

Tea Punch

• 2 cups strong aromatic black tea, cooled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cups Club Soda or Ginger Ale

Combine tea and lime juice in a glass pitcher and stir

Add sugar syrup or honey to taste

Add cracked ice and fill with Club Soda or Ginger Ale

These next entries are in the section rather blandly entitled "Milk Drinks". This section is very small but includes a number of very tasty variations on the basic theme. It also contains several entries under the name of "Vitamin Milk Shake".

Intrigued, I read the recipes carefully and was delighted to discover a 1932 version of what we now know as the fresh fruit smoothie!

Granny's recipes call for the fruit to be mashed and whipped with a rotary beater until frothy, but I have taken the liberty of updating the tools to include a blender.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Make Chocolate Syrup:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla

Mix first 4 ingredients in top of double boiler and stir over moderate heat until mixtuer comes to the boil

Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly

Remove from heat and add vanilla

Store in a cool place and use as sauce fro ice cream or to flavor cold milk

Make The Smoothie:

• Mash 1 ripe banana and place in blender
• Add 2 tbsp Chocolate Syrup
• Add 1 cup skim milk, or plain, unsweetened yogurt
  

Fill blender 3/4 full with cracked ice and blend till smooth

Pour into tall, chilled glasses and enjoy!