Blender Brazilian Limeade (Limonada Suíça)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Brazil's frothy, milky-pale limeade is made by blitzing whole limes — peel and all — with ice water for a few seconds, then straining fast before the pith turns bitter. Sweetened condensed milk rounds it into something creamy and almost tropical, while a short 10-second blend pulls all the perfume out of the zest and none of the bite. It's the most refreshing thing you can make in five minutes flat.

Ingredients

• 4 Persian limes, thin-skinned, well scrubbed
• 4 cups very cold water (refrigerated or with a few ice cubes melted in)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 4 cups ice cubes
• 4 thin lime wheels, for garnish
• 4 sprigs fresh mint (optional)

Instructions

1. Chill your water first — this matters. Measure 4 cups of water into a pitcher and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or stir in a handful of ice, let it melt down, and pour off exactly 4 cups. Cold water extracts far less bitterness from the lime peel than room-temperature water.
2. Scrub the limes under warm running water with a clean sponge to remove wax and grit, then dry them. Trim about 1/4 inch off both ends of each lime — those tips hold the most bitter white pith — and cut each lime into quarters lengthwise. Pick out and discard any obvious seeds and the thick white core strip running down the center.
3. Put the lime quarters in a blender with the 4 cups of cold water, the 2 tablespoons sugar, and the pinch of salt. Do not add the condensed milk yet.
4. Blend on high for exactly 10 seconds — count it out. The mixture should turn cloudy pale green and frothy with the peels broken into coarse flecks. Any longer and the pith pulverizes and the drink turns bitter and soapy.
5. Immediately set a fine-mesh sieve over a large pitcher or bowl and pour the mixture through, pressing gently on the solids just once or twice with the back of a ladle. Don't grind or squeeze hard — you'll push bitter pith through. Discard the peels right away.
6. Whisk the 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk into the strained limeade until fully dissolved and the drink turns opaque and pale ivory-green. Taste: it should be sharply tart with a creamy finish. Add sugar or condensed milk 1 tablespoon at a time if your limes were especially sour, or a splash more cold water if it tastes too heavy.
7. Fill four tall glasses to the top with ice, pour the limeade over, and garnish with a lime wheel and a mint sprig. Serve within 20 minutes — the foam and the bright zest flavor are best in the first few minutes, and the drink slowly picks up bitterness as it sits.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem