Mango Ginger Lemonade

This is a refreshing mangolicious lemonade perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day. This is an easy recipe and when mangoes are in season, this is a great one to make. The perfect balance of flavors of sweet mangoes and sour lemons with a hint of spicy ginger hits the right spots!

As the temperature is rising slowly, it is a great idea to consider this lemonade. Mangoes are available and using a seasonal fruit in your lemonade gives a flavor twist to your simple lemonade. This satisfies your cravings for a sweet drink as well as quenches your thirst.

To make this delicious lemonade, the following ingredients are needed

Mangoes - delicious, sweet mangoes are a perfect choice for the lemonade

Lemons - of course, you need lemons to make lemonade.

Ginger - The spicy and pungent ginger gives a flavor twist to this lemonade. It has anti-inflammatory properties and aids digestion.

Simple Syrup - simple syrup made with equal sugar and water makes it a breeze to make lemonades. 

Water - to make the desired quantity of lemonade and brings down the sour flavor of lemons.

Sabja or basil seeds - These seeds have cooling properties and are a great idea to use in summer drinks. Chia seeds are a great alternative, or it can be omitted, if you do not have it.

Ice cubes - Use as much as you want to make a cold drink.

What if you do not have simple syrup?

Simple syrup is made by heating equal amounts of sugar and water just until the sugar dissolves, and cool the syrup. This comes in handy to make sweet thirst-quenching drinks during summer. This also aids in dissolving the sugar easily and without having undissolved sugar in your drink at the bottom. This ensures uniform composition and you need that to have the perfect drink, and this is how Limonana can be made too. If you have no time to make it, just add sugar and water to your blender while blending the fruits. This ensures the complete dissolution of sugar. 

Can this mango lemonade be made ahead?

Absolutely! This tasty lemonade can be made ahead and refrigerated. It is easier to make this a couple of hours earlier, or 6 or 8 hours,  and refrigerate. This makes it an ideal summer drink to serve for evening parties. 

A note about the sweetness….

The sweetness of the mango lemonade depends on the sweetness of the mangoes and the sour lemons. Less syrup is required if the mangoes are extra sweet. Sweet mangoes are used in this recipe, so if you have a perfect sweet mango on hand, then this recipe fits well. If you prefer a dose of lemon flavor dominating, make sure to adjust the quantity of lemon or syrup. If you prefer extra sweet, feel free to add a little bit of extra syrup. Adjust the sweetness based on personal preference. 

For an easy variation….

This recipe uses fresh mangoes that are sweet. This is easy to make with fresh produce. When it is not in season, you can still enjoy this delicious drink either by using frozen mango pulp, chunks, canned mangoes, or juice. When mango juice and sweetened mango pulp are used instead of fresh mangoes, the fresh mango factor may not be there, nevertheless it will be tasty as they are loaded with sugar. In case, these are used instead of fresh or frozen mango chunks since it is already sweetened, check on the requirement of sugar. Add the sugar syrup if you need it only as it may not be needed.

Served over ice, simple lemonades are great for quenching thirst. I love this Nannari Sarbath which is basically a lemonade with sarsaparilla syrup, and the childhood memories come back. It is just delicious. Based on the regional and seasonal fruits available, lemonades can be fun like this Dragon Fruit Lemonade. 

Speaking of seasonal fruits, mango, it is, now! This mango ginger lemonade is SO refreshing that you will forget the levels of mercury. I am sharing this for this week’s Blogging Marathon under the theme, Mango Recipes. Check out this protein-rich mango and melon cottage cheese smoothie bowl for a delicious breakfast!

Ingredients

Serves 4

Mangoes - 1.5 cups, cubed

Ginger - 1.5 tbsp, chopped

Lemon juice - ¼ cup

Water - 1.5 cup

Ice - 2 cups

Mint - for garnish

Sabja seeds - 1 tsp, soaked in ½ cup water

To make simple syrup

Sugar - ½ cup

Water - ½ cup

Method

Soak the sabra or basil seeds in half cup water for 5-10 minutes.

To make simple syrup: Heat has cup sugar and has cup water on a medium flame until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

Add the mangoes, ginger, lemon juice to your blender. Been to a puree with water. Add the syrup and blend again.

Add half cup ice to each serving glass. Pour the juice on to each of the four serving glasses. Add the soaked basil seeds, garnish with mint and serve.