I love Brazilian Lemonade and used to make it by the bucketload back in college when I was a bartender at a popular Brazilian restaurant. I’ve posted this recipe before, but this time I also infused it with a little basil and it is delicioso. Brazilian lemonade is really easy and it also utilizes my favorite secret ingredient of all time–sweetened condensed milk, aka nectar of the gods.
Here’s what you need:
6 limes (7 if they’re small)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 bunch of basil
6 cups water
First we’re going to make a basil infused simple syrup. Over the stove heat 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar. Add a bunch (9-10) basil leaves. (Honestly, I felt like it could have stood to have more basil flavor, so add a lot of leaves!) Simmer on the stove until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand.
Next, I must address the obvious question–why do we use limes if it’s called Brazilian lemonade? Apparently in Brazil they don’t differentiate between lemons and limes. My other favorite explanation is when we were living in NYC and a friend of ours asked the grocer where the lemons were. Some random man sidled up next to her and whispered loudly in her ear, “In the ghetto, lemons are GREEN.”
So cut your green lemons in half and then perhaps in quarters if your blender is not super powerful. You’re going to do a half-batch at a time. So in the blender add 3 limes (cut in half or quarters), half of your basil syrup (including the basil leaves), half your sugar and sweetened condensed milk.
Blend up in the blender really well until it’s all just a fine, juicy pulp.
Strain the pureed lime concoction over a bowl/pitcher.
Then take two more cups of water and pour over the rest of the pureed lime mixture. Then press down with a spoon on top of mixture to get all the sweet lime goodness into the bowl. Remember do this again with the remaining 3 limes and ingredients.
Enjoy!
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6-7 limes
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 bunch of basil
6 cups water
1. Start with a sweet basil simple syrup by mixing 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water and a handful of basil leaves simmering over the stove. Bring to a low boil, remove from heat.
2. Cut all limes in quarters then working in two separate batches add 3 limes (quartered) into the blender with 1/2 of basil syrup, 1/2 of remaining sugar, and half of sweetened condensed milk.
3. Blend in blender until it’s a fine, lime-y pulp.
4. Stain mixture over bowl/pitcher. Take 2-2.5 additional cups of water and pour over lime pulp into bowl/pitcher. Repeat this step with remaining ingredients.
Enjoy!
