Summer for me is summarized by no school, summer jobs, blue skies, sunburned skin, pool parties, a thousand books to read, and a fresh cup of iced lemonade. In truth, the summertime here in the US makes me very nostalgic for the time I lived in Brazil. There, with our endless blazing sun and the other ‘fake seasons,’ four-hour-long school days, fun events, and fairs almost every week, though I might not have realized it then, really did feel like an endless summer.
Well if most of us live in an endless summer, it is reasonable to assume Brazilians really know their way with most summer time drinks. Brazilian Lemonade, or as it is really known, Swiss Lemonade, is a very popular drink in Brazil, and also the only lemonade I ever drink. Yes, as weird as it may sound, Swiss lemonade is not Swiss. And even more strangely, it is not lemonade either.
The truth about this drink is less jaw dropping then you may think. The lemonade is not really made with lemons but limes, so it really should be called ‘Brazilian Limeade’.
It all began with a translation issue, since in English Lemons are one thing while Limes are another one. However, in Portuguese limes and lemons are all just Lemons. So when our making our limeade we call it “Limonada” – Lemonade.
The reason we call it Swiss is actually because of an ingredient. An optional one! Likely the Brazilian who invented this drink was trying to make it sound different and fancy…
It comes from the condensed milk as the sweetener. The creamy and sweet milk makes the drink thick, opaque, and almost cocktail-like. And since in Brazil brands are not various, Nestle, the Swiss company owned the market for the sweetener. So since the drink was known for its unique sweetener, it became known to Brazilians as ‘Limonada Suiça’.
How to make it
You will need:
- Water
- Limes
- Condensed milk or sweetener of choice
- A blender
The best thing about this drink is not just its delicious taste, but how easy it is to make. Every summer my little sister makes them herself and goes outside to sell them. As expected, she gets customers and customers returning for more; all surprised with how tasty it is.
Unlike lemonades you do not need to strain your hands in pressing the fruits out is its peal. All you need to do is cut the amount you want and throw halves of limes inside a blender.
Yes the halves of limes, with the peal and everything. So make sure you wash it extremely well first. I know it sounds weird at first, but trust the process.
Then, make sure the blender has a little over one cup of water for each half. Then close the lid and press crush ice in your blender three fast separate times. This part is extremely important. If you blend it for too long the peel will start to mix with the water and the drink will taste bitter.
Then, strain the drink to take all the pieces of lime out of it. Pour it back into the blender and add some condensed milk to it. You can keep adding bits more and mixing until it reaches the consistency you want. Then you can add some sugar and ice if you’d like.
Pour it into a cup for yourself and I assure you that you won’t regret it.
