So Crisp and Refreshing! Time for a Mint Limonada!

Jump to recipe

There’s just something about a cold, refreshing glass of lemonade on a hot day! It really helps you to find a few moments of relief when those temperatures start rising! And if you are sweating the summer here in Costa Rica or perhaps looking forward to those summertime temps elsewhere, hopefully this recipe will fit the bill for you! This week, I am going to share with you my MINT LIMONADA!

What is a Limonada?

Limonada would most closely be translated from Spanish as “lemonade.”

However, the root of the word is “limón,” which here in Costa Rica is generically used to refer to both limes and lemons. In English, though, we would distinguish the sweetened beverage made from those fruits as either lemonade or limeade.

Sooooo, I am using the generic limonada term, but if you want to call it a limeade or lemonade, go right ahead!

Pin it now to save it for later!

Let’s assemble our ingredients!

To make my mint limonada, you will need the following ingredients:

• limes or lemons
• sugar or your favorite sweetener (I am using turbinado sugar)
• mint
• water

A little tartness….

I tend to use mandarinas (Rangpur limes or limón mandarina) for my mint limonada, as we have 2 bountiful trees that produce LOTS of these tart, delicious fruits nearly year-round.

These babies look like oranges on the inside, but they have a tart, complex, lime-like flavor that will remind you that they are NOT oranges! These fruits are staples on Costa Rican tables at meal time, and it is not hard to see why!

Now, the most typical way these are eaten is when they are green on the outside, and we certainly enjoy them that way!

This may be a bit controversial, but we also really love them when they ripen to orange on the outside. They still have that unique limón mandarina flavor, but there is even more juice! They look bumpy and mottled and, well, are not the most attractive fruit you will ever see! They may not look as pretty on the outside, but it is what is on the inside that counts!!

So, for my limonada, I am using very ripe mandarina limes!

However, use the juice from your own favorite lime or lemon!

Wanna Limonada?

For my limonada, I often use fresh spearmint (hierba buena) from the garden, but use whatever mint you have or can access.

I then add my lime juice and a little water (between a pint to a quart) to my 2 quart pitcher.

Next, we are going to make a mint syrup. I add my sugar (turbinado in my case) and mint to a glass measuring cup like this:

Then I add around 1 cup of boiling water and give it a good stir. I let this steep for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to macerate or break up the mint leaves if you prefer. Warning though… it might look a little like spinach….

Now it is time to strain out the mint. We prefer our mint limonada without the chunks or little pieces of mint. It fools the taste buds when you have the unexpected slight bite of the mint in that first sip of tart and sweet refreshingness!

Next, all we do is bring our pitcher up to 2 quarts with water! Serve this tasty beverage well chilled or over ice!

Variations to our mint limonada!

• Skip the mint and steep time. Dissolve the sugar and water and continue with the recipe for a basic limonada.
• Adjust your sweetener! If you prefer a sweeter version, add more!
• Like it mintier? Try it with 1 cup of mint instead!
• This version filters out the mint, but feel free to blend your mint into the limonada instead!
• Add vodka, rum, or your favorite spirit for a twist on a mojito!

Did you know you can find this and many of my other recipes on Pinterest?