Beverages Recipe

Make lemon simple syrup

Combine 0.5 cups water and 0.75 cups granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture barely simmers. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

Juice fresh lemons until you have 1 cup of lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons). Strain seeds and pulp if you prefer a clear lemonade.

In a pitcher, combine the lemon juice and the cooled simple syrup. Add 3.5 cups cold water and stir. Taste and adjust: add more water if too strong or more syrup if you prefer sweeter.

Fill glasses with ice, pour lemonade over ice, garnish with lemon slices and mint if using. Serve chilled.

Bring 8 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat, add 0.75 cups dried hibiscus flowers, cover and steep 15–20 minutes until deep red and fragrant.

Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing gently on the flowers to extract flavor. Discard solids.

While still warm, stir in 0.75 cups sugar (or honey) until dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.

When ready to serve, add 4 cups of ice to glasses, pour hibiscus tea over ice, finish each glass with 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice if desired, and garnish with lime slices.

Peel the cucumber if desired and slice 4 thin rounds for garnish. Roughly chop the remaining cucumber and place in a blender with 0.5 cups fresh mint leaves, 0.5 cups simple syrup, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Blend until smooth.

Strain the cucumber-mint purée through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

Add chilled sparkling water to the pitcher and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more simple syrup or lime juice if needed.

Fill glasses with ice, pour the sparkler over ice, garnish with cucumber slices and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately to preserve carbonation.

Place 1 cup coarsely ground coffee in a large jar or French press. Add 4 cups cold filtered water, stir to ensure all grounds are wet, and cover.

Steep at room temperature or in refrigerator for 12–18 hours depending on desired strength (12 hours for lighter, 18 for strong).

Strain the coffee through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a clean container to remove grounds. This yields a concentrate.

To serve, fill a glass with ice, dilute cold-brew concentrate with equal parts water or milk to taste (typical 1:1), add simple syrup or sweetener if desired (about 2 tablespoons per quart concentrate suggested), stir and serve.