ByAline Shaw
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Oi Gente!
Brazilian lemonade is so refreshing and perfect to cool off a hot summer day! So easy to make, ready in less than 5 minutes and uses just 2 ingredients.
What is Brazilian Lemonade?
Brazilian lemonade, as you probably already noticed from the green photos, is actually Brazilian limeade, made with fresh limes. We call it lemonade because the word for lime in Portuguese is limão, so in Portuguese we call it limonada, which translates to lemonade.
There are a few different versions of this Brazilian lime drink, all of which feature fresh limes, but involve a different way of juicing and sweetening them. You can make limonada with freshly squeezed lime juice, or you can use a whole lime, skin and everything and blend it all together to juice it. Then, you can sweeten it with sugar, condensed milk or sometimes both! Such a simple drink, so many fun and tasty variations.
How to make Brazilian Lemonade
Any Brazilian lemonade recipe is super easy to make. I like to make mine limonada Suiça style. Limonada suiça, aka swiss lemonade, is limeade that is prepared using the whole limes, skin and everything. Traditionally, limonada Suiça is sweetened with sugar, but when I was growing up, my mom would make us lemonade with whole limes, water and condensed milk. So this is my childhood’s and most favorite version!
To make it just blend the limes, the water and the condensed milk in a blender. Strain it into a pitcher full of ice and that’s it! You’re ready for the summer.
The big secret in this Brazilian Lemonade recipe
Some people truly hate the idea of blending a whole lime with the skin on, because of how bitter they become. The secret here is how long to blend the limes! The longer you blend, the bitterer they’ll become shortly after they’re blended. There’s no need to blend the limes any longer than 10 or 15 seconds. Better yet, just pulse a few times, and boom – you’ll have a strong lime drink, that doesn’t turn unbearably bitter!
Why the name swiss lemonade? No one actually knows. There appears to be three different versions of why the name, none of which has been confirmed to be real or official. According to a Brazilian gastronomy instructor in an interview with G1, Brazilian news site, “Some say a Swiss restaurant owner invented the drink. Some say the recipe was invented in a Swiss hospitality school. And lastly, there are sources that claim that the English actually came up with this recipe that blends the lime skins”. Who cares, right? As long as it’s delicious, we can call it anything! haha
Here are some Brazilian snacks to enjoy with your Brazilian Lemonade
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Yuca Fries
Grilled Chicken Hearts
More lime drinks recipes
Caipirinha Recipe
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Brazilian Lemonade
Brazilian lemonade is so refreshing and perfect to cool off a hot summer day! So easy to make, ready in just about 5 minutes and uses just 2 ingredients.
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 5 cups
Author: Aline Shaw
Ingredients
- 5 limes
- 1/2 cup sweet condensed milk*
- 4 cups water**
- ice
Instructions
slice 4 of the limes in 8 parts each and add them to a blender
add the condensed milk and the water to the blender along with the limes and blend for no more than 15 seconds (the more you blend, the bitterer the limeade will turn out)
using a fine mesh strainer, strain the juice from the blender into a pitcher filled with ice
slice the remaining lime in half, and sqeeze into the pitcher for an extra punch of lime flavor
Stir and serve right away!
Cheers! or as we say in Portuguese, Saúde!!
Did you make this recipe? Show me how it turned out! Snap a photo and share with me on Instagram tagging @aline_shaw!
Notes
*You can add more condensed milk if you want your limeade a bit sweeter - some people even add a little sugar. It's up to you!
**You can also add a little more water if you think the lime flavor is too strong - just remember you'll be adding ice to the pitcher, and the ice will melt at some point.
