Russian Refresher: Hot Citrus Drink

This makes a yummy hot mug on a cold winter's night.
Divide into pretty glass jars and give as gifts with a mini whisk!
 
2 cups powdered Tang drink mix
1/2 cup presweetened yellow lemonade powder (like Country Time Lemonade)
1-1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Whisk all together in a large bowl. Store in a container. 
To serve: Mix 2-3 Tbl. drink mix into one cup of hot water

Water Punch

This is a refreshing alternative to a cold glass of summertime lemonade...just be sure to serve it icy cold over more ice!

5 quarts water
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbl. lemon extract
1 Tbl. citric acid powder
Lots of ice!

Brazilian Limeade

4 limes with thin, smooth skins
1 cup sugar
6 cups water
6 Tbl. sweetened condensed milk
Ice

Scrub limes with soap & water and rinse well.  Cut each lime into 8 pieces.  In large blender combine sliced limes (skin and all!) with sugar and 4 cups water.  Blend for a minute until limes are chopped up well.  Place wire mesh strainer over serving pitcher and pour lime mixture through strainer.  Press through until all water is out.  Add remaining two cups of water and sweetened condensed milk to pitcher.  Whisk well.  Pour into serving glasses over lots of ice.  Serve cold!

Fruit Smoothie

2 cups frozen fruit (could be a berry mixture, peaches, strawberries, mango & pineapple mixture, etc.)
1 frozen banana (see below)
1/2 cup yogurt, kefir, or almond milk
1/3 cup juice concentrate (orange juice, apple juice, white grape juice)
1 cup water

Put all in blender and mix until smooth.

For frozen bananas: If you can see that you'll not be eating all those bananas you bought, freeze them for smoothies before they spoil!  Just peel them and break them into two or three pieces.  Put the chunks in a freezer bag and pull out a few when you're ready for a smoothie!

Root Beer

1 (2 oz.) bottle McCormick Root Beer Concentrate
4 lbs. sugar
4 gallons water
5 lbs. dry ice

Mix extract, sugar, and water in large (5 gallon) cooler.  Stir well to dissolve sugar.  Add dry ice. Cover loosely. Let sit for 20-30 min. to carbonate.

Strawberry or Peach Lemonade Spritzer

Boil 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar.  Set aside to cool.
When it has cooled, mix in 1 cup of bottled lemon juice.

Puree some strawberries or peaches.
When ready to serve, put about 1 Tbl. pureed fruit in glass.
Fill glass half-full of lemonade mixture.
Add 7-Up or Sprite for other half of glass.

Orange Julius

This recipe makes a large blender-full, but if you don't have a large enough blender, just do it in batches and dump it in a large pitcher for the final stirring.  (Or just make half the recipe!)

1 12-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
24  ice cubes
Optional: apricot nectar, frozen berries, mango, other fruits/syrups/jams

Mix all in blender until slushy.  Stir again before serving.

Apricot Nectar

• Put apricots in sink.  Cover with water to wash.
• Remove pits and put apricot halves in a big pot with a couple of inches of water in the bottom.
• Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally until squishy and mushy.  Do Not Burn!
• Pour hot, mushy apricots and liquid into Victorio strainer, filling pitcher with nectar as it comes out of strainer.
• Pour nectar into jars and add 1 Tbl. lemon juice to each quart before putting lids on.
• Continue using mush and sending it through Victorio strainer until no more juice can be extracted.
• Steam process for 30 min. or use boiling water bath for 25 min. processing time.

Freezer Peaches

This will make about 20 1-pound bags of frozen peaches...great for use in fruit smoothies!

25 lbs. peaches
18 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups canned pineapple juice OR 1 large can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup bottled lemon juice
2 Tbl. Fruit Fresh
3 cups sugar

Blanch peaches (1 min. in boiling water and then into cold).
Peel and halve peaches.
Mix all syrup ingredients together in a large bowl (big enough to hold all your peaches).  
Stand over bowl and slice peeled peaches and let fall into the bowl of juice, stirring occasionally  When bowl is full, use slotted spoon to lift peaches out and distribute peaches evenly into freezer zip bags, 1-lb in each bag.  Lay flat in freezer until frozen solid.  

Save the left-over juice after freezing peaches.  Freeze juice in ice cube trays (or even snack baggies) and use for peach slush-punch...just add 7-Up!

Wassail

1 gallon apple cider or apple juice (doesn't have to be fancy kind)
4 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

Pour into pot and let simmer a long time.

Holiday Punch

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
5 cans water
1 can frozen fruit punch concentrate
2 large bottles ginger ale
1 large bottle 7-Up or Sprite
2 trays frozen pineapple juice ice cubes

Mix lemonade concentrate, water, fruit punch concentrate.  This can be left to chill.  Just before serving, add other ingredients and serve in 3-gallon container.