Limonada SuíçaBrazilian Lemonade
Blended Limeade with Condensed Milk, Smooth as Silk.
Limonada suíça is lemonade that went to finishing school: whole limes blended with condensed milk until the acid sets the milk into a silken cloud. Swiss in name only, it is the standard of Brazilian juice bars and the reason a blender sits on every counter.
Ingredients
- 4 large limes (or 3 Tahiti lemons), washed and quartered
- 4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 liter cold water
- Ice, to serve
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Method
- Blend wholePut the quartered limes — peel and all — with the condensed milk, sugar, salt, and cold water in the blender. Blend 20 to 30 seconds, no longer: the peel perfumes the drink but long blending turns it bitter.
- StrainStrain through a fine sieve into a pitcher, pressing gently. Discard the pulp.
- Serve over icePour over tall glasses of ice immediately. It will separate as it sits — stir and it comes back.
Questions
How long does Limonada Suíça take?
about 10 minutes of prep — yielding 4 glasses.
Why blend the whole lime?
The peel's oils carry the perfume that juice alone lacks — and the condensed milk needs that brightness to taste balanced. Twenty to thirty seconds only; the pith turns bitter past that.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Coconut milk (not the carton drink) replaces the condensed milk at about half the volume, plus sugar to taste — a different but excellent drink.