Juicy Joy!
Watermelon Refresher
A great favorite in Greece, where roadside stalls sell enormous watermelons, this smoothie makes the most of this gigantic fruit’s juiciness.
SERVES 2
1 wedge of watermelon, weighing about 12 oz/350 g
ice cubes
DECORATION
slices of watermelon
Cut the rind off the watermelon. Chop the watermelon into chunks, discarding any seeds.
Put the watermelon chunks into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Place ice cubes in the glasses. Pour the watermelon mixture over the ice and serve decorated with slices of melon.
Melon & Mango Tango
Both watermelons and cantaloupes are among the most thirst-quenching fruits in the world and are perfect for summer drinks.
SERVES 2
1 cantaloupe melon, halved and seeded
2 1/2 cups mango juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
DECORATION
slices of orange
Scoop out the melon flesh with a spoon straight into a food processor or blender. Add the mango and orange juices, and process until smooth.
Pour into chilled glasses, decorate with slices of orange, and serve.
Perky Pineapple
This is a great energy booster and is packed full of nutrients. The tangy taste is extremely refreshing as well.
SERVES 4
handful of cracked ice
2 bananas
1 cup pineapple juice, chilled
1/2 cup lime juice
DECORATION
slices of pineapple
Put the cracked ice into a food processor or blender. Peel the bananas and slice directly into the food procesor or blender. Add the pineapple juice and the lime juice, and process until smooth.
Pour into chilled glasses, decorate with slices of pineapple, and serve.
Cool Cranberries
Soft fruits make wonderfully colorful and tasty drinks. This is a great way to encourage your children to eat more fruit.
SERVES 4
3 cups cranberries, thawed if frozen
scant 2 cups cranberry juice, chilled
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
2–3 tbsp honey
Place the cranberries and the cranberry juice into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add the yogurt and 2 tablespoons of honey and process again until combined. Taste and add more honey, if necessary.
Pour into chilled glasses and serve.
Strawberry Colada
Strawberries are a delicious source of iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
SERVES 2
4 cups strawberries
1/2 cup coconut cream
2 1/2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
Reserve 4 strawberries to decorate. Halve the remainder and place in a food processor or blender.
Add the coconut cream and pineapple juice and process until smooth, then pour into chilled glasses, decorate with the reserved strawberries, and serve.
Watermelon Sunset
The seeds of a watermelon can be roasted and eaten, and in fact the rind can be used to make pickles and relishes, making every part of the fruit edible.
SERVES 4
1 watermelon, halved
6 tbsp fresh ruby grapefruit juice
6 tbsp fresh orange juice
dash of lime juice
DECORATION
slices of watermelon
Seed the melon if you are unable to find a seedless one. Scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender and add the grapefruit juice, orange juice, and a dash of lime juice.
Process until smooth, pour into chilled glasses, decorate with slices of watermelon and serve.
Apple Cooler
The distinctive flavor of fragrant, ripe apples combines with fresh strawberries and freshly squeezed orange juice to give you a really zingy smoothie.
SERVES 2
2 ripe apples, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup strawberries, hulled
juice of 4 oranges
sugar, to taste
DECORATION
slices of apple
Put the apples, strawberries, and orange juice into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Taste and sweeten with sugar, if necessary.
Decorate with slices of apple and serve at once.
Lemon Surprise
Although rich in vitamin C and low in calories, lemon juice is too sour to drink on its own. Here it is partnered with parsley, which also has health-giving properties.
SERVES 2
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
scant 2 cups sparkling mineral water
2–3 tsp sugar
Put the lemon juice, parsley, and sparkling mineral water into a food processor or blender and process on low speed until combined.
Switch the blender to high speed, add the sugar through the feeder tube, and process for 30 seconds more.
Pour into chilled glasses, add straws, and serve.
Melon & Mint Cooler
The aromatic, sweet-fleshed, juicy cantaloupe melon is the perfect choice for a refreshing and healthy summer drink.
SERVES 21 cantaloupe melon
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped preserved ginger
1/2–2/3 cup mineral water
Halve the melon and scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and chop coarsely.
Put the melon, mint, and ginger iinto a food processor or blender and process until smooth and thoroughly combined. With the motor running, add the mineral water, a little at a time, until the mixture reaches the consistency that suits you.
Pour into chilled glasses, add straws, and serve.
Maidenly Mimosa
This non-alcoholic “cocktail” is a delicious alternative for non-drinkers and drivers at a brunch or lunch party.
SERVES 2
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup sparkling white grape juice
Divide the orange juice between 2 chilled wine glasses or champagne flutes.
Top up with the grape juice and serve.
Peach & Red Currant Sunset
Make sure the peaches you use are properly ripe so their flavor counteracts the acidity of the red currants. This classic combination of flavors makes a very pretty smoothie.
SERVES 2
2 large ripe peaches
generous 2/3 cup red currants
3/4 cup ice-cold water
1–2 tbsp honey
Halve the peaches and discard the pits. Coarsely chop the peaches and put into a food processor or blender.
Keep 2 stems of red currants whole for decoration and strip the rest off their stems into a food processor or blender. Add the water and honey, and process until smooth.
Pour into glasses and decorate with the remaining red currant sprigs.
Pineapple Crush
The combination of orange juice, pineapple, and melon makes this a really refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day.
SERVES 2
scant ½ cup pineapple juice
4 tbsp orange juice
4¼ oz/125 g galia melon, cut into chunks
5 oz/140 g frozen pineapple chunks
4 ice cubes
DECORATION
slices of orange
Pour the pineapple juice and orange juice into a food processor or blender and process gently until combined.
Add the melon, pineapple chunks, and ice cubes, and process until a slushy consistency has been reached.
Pour the mixture into glasses and decorate with slices of orange. Serve at once.
Pomegranate Passion
This is a lovely late summer drink made with the new season’s pomegranates, which start to appear in stores in August.
SERVES 2
2 ripe pomegranates
1 passion fruit
1 tbsp honey
2 glasses full of crushed ice
Cut the pomegranates in half and extract the juice with a basic lemon squeezer.
Halve the passion fruit and strain the pulp into a small bowl. Mix in the pomegranate juice and honey.
Pour over the crushed ice, add straws, and serve.
Raspberry & Apple Quencher
Quick and easy to make, this is a simple and elegant drink to enjoy.
SERVES 2
8 ice cubes, crushed
2 tbsp raspberry syrup
generous 2 cups chilled apple juice
DECORATION
whole raspberries and pieces of apple on cocktail sticks
Divide the crushed ice between two glasses and pour over the raspberry syrup.
Top up each glass with chilled apple juice and stir well.
Decorate with the whole raspberries and pieces of apple on cocktail sticks and serve.
Strawberry Surprise
This supremely thirst-quenching smoothie is ideal to serve on scorching summer days. The balsamic vinegar brings out the flavor of the strawberries beautifully.
SERVES 2
scant 1 cup frozen strawberries
generous 3/4 cup ice-cold water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp flowery honey, such as acacia
DECORATION
whole strawberries
Put the strawberries, water, balsamic vinegar, and honey into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Pour into glasses, decorate with whole strawberries, and serve.
Papaya Sweet & Sour
Papaya undergoes an amazing transformation as it ripens. The outside skin is yellow, but inside, the papaya is a deep sunset pink.
SERVES 2
9 oz/250 g ripe soft papaya
3/4 cup ice-cold water
juice of 1 lime
DECORATION
slices of green papaya
Peel the ripe papaya, discarding any seeds. Cut into chunks.
Put the papaya chunks into a food processor or blender with the water and lime juice, and process until smooth.
Pour into glasses and decorate with slices of green papaya.
Black Grape Fizz
Use large dark grapes for this foamy, refreshing cooler.
SERVES 2
scant 1 cup black grapes, seeded or seedless
generous 3/4 cup sparkling mineral water
2 large scoops of lemon sherbet
DECORATION
slices of lime
Put the grapes, sparkling mineral water, and lemon sherbet into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Pour into glasses and decorate with slices of lime. Serve immediately.
Raspberry & Black Currant Slush
Fresh, clean, and simple, this is an excellent drink to serve on a really hot day.
SERVES 2
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 1/4 cups sparkling mineral water
2 scoops of black currant sherbet
Put the raspberries and sparkling mineral water into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Add half the sherbet and process briefly until combined with the raspberry mixture.
Pour into glasses, add a scoop of the remaining sherbet to each, and drink while still slushy.
Blood Orange Sparkler
Now that blood (ruby) orange juice is available all year round, you can use its fabulous color and flavor whenever you want.
SERVES 2
1 cup blood (ruby) orange juice
1 cup strawberries
3/4 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sparkling mineral water
Put the blood orange juice, strawberries, raspberries, and sparkling mineral water into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds, if preferred.
Pour into glasses, add straws, and serve.
Strawberry & Pineapple Refresher
Long-life pineapple juice and frozen fruit are used in this easy-to-assemble pantry smoothie—the flavors are not compromised by your haste!
SERVES 2
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 1/4 cups long-life pineapple juice
1 tbsp superfine sugar
DECORATION
wedges of pineapple
Put the strawberries, pineapple juice, and superfine sugar into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses, decorate with wedges of pineapple, and serve.