Juice up with the taste of summer

THE TERRIFIC TRIO: A trio of mocktails to beat the heat.     Photo by TK Nasar

By Aney MathewYou are sitting on the beach under an umbrella, sipping sparkling elderflower lemonade, while enjoying the scenic beauty of the clear, blue waters; the sound of happy children playing as they build sand castles on the shore, and the sight of youngsters ripping across the waters on their water-scooters in the distance, add to the splendour of the moment — a great way to spend a hot summer’s day.This scenario needs to be no figment of imagination. You could savour such a moment in reality in Qatar, except for possibly the easy availability of sparkling elderflower lemonade; perhaps you could replace it for a tall, cool glass of refreshing water berry or orange mojito.With summer taking hold of the region, attention has naturally once again turned to thirst quenchers. Cool, refreshing drinks are the hot favourite — even if it’s just a glass of good, old lemonade. Every region and area has its favourite summer drink, which involves the extensive use of locally available fresh fruits. On a typical day in summer, depending on the region, you could be offered anything from a cool, fruity mocktail to a simple glass of refreshing buttermilk, or an exotic fruity lassi. Recent trends have been favourable towards bestowing an emphatic concurrence to nature’s produce and the sun is certainly shining brighter on fresh, fruity drinks. Nature’s bounty provides so many different flavours to satisfy various palates. Fortunately, the markets in Qatar provide a wide selection of fresh fruits from around the globe, the whole year round, giving us quite a choice. From mango and watermelon, to peaches and strawberries or even the more exotic dragon fruit, you can make a range of fruity drinks and mocktails right at home; the variety would be limited only by your imagination. Add a dash of sparkling lemonade and the drink gets a tangy, bubbly appeal. Garnish with some mint leaves or chopped honeydew melon and give your drink some extra freshness. Fruit juices and mocktails are a great way of ensuring your family gets their daily servings of fruit. There’s nothing like a refreshing, delicious, fruity drink to start your day, even if you are one of those people who isn’t keen on a breakfast. For those who are wondering – a mocktail is simply the combination of the juice of several fruits.Whisking together a scrumptious mocktail isn’t confined to the kitchens of trendy restaurants. You can whip them up at home, quite as easily. To give our readers an idea of how to come up with a mocktail that will impress guests, Community got the staff at the La Spiga Restaurant by Paper Moon in W Doha, to share with us some of their popular summer sippers.By way of introduction, Denis Cefa, the Asst Restaurant Manager says, “The three mocktails that we have selected for our demonstration, have something in common. They are all very colourful, rich in antioxidants, very refreshing and certainly healthy. They are perfect for the summer as they are full of fruity flavours and they also contain herbs like mint which makes them more refreshing.“While choosing these drinks we wanted to incorporate some variety too; they are varied not only in taste but also in their colour and texture. For instance, the texture of Water Berry is close to that of a melon. Here the ingredients are just added and shaken well in a bottle, before being served. The mint is not crushed, in order for its distinct taste to come through. The idea is that the flavours of the various ingredients should not vie with each other.”Explaining further about the mocktails, Denis points out, “We are also sharing the recipe for an orange mojito. All mojito have the same, common base – mint, lime and brown sugar; and the ingredients are ‘muddled’ together. Mojitos originated from the Caribbean and hence the use of brown sugar.” As if on cue, Manas Rath, the bartender, proceeds to muddle the orange mojito; he crushes the ingredients in a sturdy glass with a muddler, which resembles the handle of a rolling pin. Muddling is basically crushing the ingredients together. The muddler is pressed lightly on the leaves and given a few gentle twists. The process releases a gentle aroma of mint. Care should be taken not to over-muddle the ingredients. “The Virgin Mint Honey is different from the other mocktails, in that the ingredients are neither shaken together nor muddled, but processed through a blender, along with ice cubes. This gives it a totally different texture and is perfect for the poolside,” says Denis, pointing to a green, frothy treat.In addition to the recipes, here are some handy tips that will help you get best results, when you attempt your own mocktails:l Ensure you are using the freshest fruits and ingredients and try to keep the constituents as natural as possible.l Rather than just mixing together the juice of a few fruits together, try blending them together in a blender for an appealing frothy, drink.l Mocktails taste best when served immediately after they are made, so making them ahead of time is not a good idea.l Colour, fragrance and presentation are quite crucial to the way we enjoy food; they affect our psychological impression of the food served. As a matter of fact it is said, that we first eat with our nose and eyes. So while colour is an important element to our taste perception, try to use only natural colouring agents as much as possible. With these tips and recipes as a guide, go ahead and try the mocktails shared here, and of course let your imagination take over as you come up with your own fun combinations.Whether you choose to enjoy your thirst quencher while enjoying the view on a beach, or while simply flipping channels on your flat screen TV, these fruity, summer sippers will help you beat the heat.Water BerryA bestseller in the restaurant — this drink contains amino acid citrulline, which is found in particularly high amounts in watermelon juice. It helps in improving blood flow and relaxing blood vessels. If you’d like to help protect your heart, skin and body from cancer, then this juice is for you.Eating watermelon or drinking the juice before heavy exercise can also have an anti-inflammatory effect. This mocktail is great for your kidneys, having a highly cleansing effect when you drink it, while the cranberry juice helps prevent UTIs and other related illnesses. The watermelon and cranberry together help flush out ammonia and uric acid from the body, leaving you fresh, hydrated and ready for a summery day.Ingredients:100 ml Fresh Watermelon Juice50 ml Cranberry Juice10 ml Fresh Lemon Juice15ml Apple JuiceMethod:Shake the ingredients altogether well in a bottle and garnish with red berries and a sprig of mint.Orange Mojito Put the plain old soda aside and grab yourself one of these irresistible and refreshing drinks this summer. This virgin orange mojito is the perfect recipe to impress your friends and family; it will be the hit among for people of all ages.Ingredients:2 Slice of Orange 10 Mint Leaves 1 Lime cut in 8 wedges2 Cube of brown sugar30 ml of fresh orange juiceTop up with 7 UPMethod:Muddle sugar, mint, lime and orange slices together. Add fresh orange juice, crushed ice and top up with 7 UP.Virgin Mint Honey Feeling a little under the weather? This extremely easy mocktail will lift you right up.Orange juice is widely considered one of the healthiest beverages because of its wide range of health benefits. This includes its ability to boost our immune system, reduce signs of ageing, protect against cancer and boost cellular repair and metabolism. It also helps to detoxify the body, improve circulation, improve blood pressure, reduces inflammation, and lowers cholesterol levels. When paired up with fresh mint leaves that are known to have one of the highest antioxidant capacities in any food. Add a dash of honey and you have perfect formula to start the day — energised and refreshed.Ingredients:70 ml fresh orange juice 8 mint leavesDash of honeyMethod:Blend all three ingredients together in a blender and garnish with a sprig of mint.