Nectar Of The Gods: Natalie’s Guava Lemonade
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In Greek mythology, the gods on Mount Olympus drank mead, a fermented combination of honey and water. It was called “nectar of the gods” and was also consumed by the Greeks down on Earth, who made it for themselves. Along with beer, mead is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages. But we’ve discovered our own nectar of the gods, in the form of Natalie’s Guava Lemonade. It’s our Top Pick Of The Week. Why of all things, pick the Guava Lemonade from Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company? At a recent specialty food trade show featuring thousands of products (of which we tasted hundreds), the luscious, fresh flavors of Natalie’s Guava Lemonade were invigorating, restorative, exquisite, nay, divine. We didn’t know until the next day that Natalie’s Guava Lemonade had won the gold statue for Best New Beverage in the Specialty Food Association’s 2022 Sofi Awards, triumphing over scores of entrants in the competitive beverage category. Natalie’s Guava Lemonade is minimally processed and contains just four ingredients: fresh lemons, guava purée, pure cane sugar, and water. There are no preservatives and no artificial ingredients. You can drink it straight (you’ll want more! more! more!) or use it as a cocktail or mocktail base. Natalie’s has quite a few recipes on its website, that turn its Guava Lemonade into even more beverages, frozen snacks, and desserts. Below, we include one of our own “specials,” the Guava Arnold Palmer. Recipe #2, Guava Lemonade Sorbet, and recipe #3, Guava “Bellini,” are from Natalie’s collection. If you want to plan celebrations: June 10th is National Iced Tea Day, August 20th is National Lemonade Day, and for recipe #1, September 10th is Arnold Palmer’s birthday. > The history of the Arnold Palmer. Some people will use sweet iced tea (or regular sweetened ice tea) for this recipe. We prefer that the sweetness come only from the lemonade. If you avoid sugar, you can make sugar-free lemonade. Here’s a recipe for homemade lemonade, with your sweetener of choice. We also make Sparkling Guava Lemonade, simply by topping off one-fourth of the glass with club soda. 1. COMBINE equal amounts of iced tea and Natalie’s Guava Lemonade. 2. FILL a glass with ice, if you prefer. Add the beverage mixture and garnish as desired. See photo #5. You can also make a sorbet cocktail by scooping the sorbet into a glass of prosecco or other sparkling wine. Ingredients 1. COMBINE 1 cup of Guava Lemonade and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Stir to combine. 2. BRING the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. 3. REMOVE from the heat, and stir in the second cup of guava lemonade and lemon zest. Pour into a small loaf pan and place in the freezer overnight. 4. SCOOP and garnish as desired. This recipe is an homage to the Bellini, which is made with white peach purée and Prosecco (here’s the original recipe and history). Instead of peach purée Natalie’s substitutes guava purée and its Guava Lemonade. For garnish, you can notch a piece of frozen guava on the rim of the glass. Ingredients For 4 Drinks 1. COMBINE the frozen guava and Guava Lemonade and blend until smooth. 2. DIVIDE the mixture among 4 Champagne glasses, add top with prosecco. 3. GARNISH as desired. |
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________________ *You can purchase frozen guava, or peel, dice, and freeze fresh guava.
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