- Prep time10 mins
- Cook time0 mins
- Servings4
- DifficultyEasy
- CategoryDrink
Mint lemonade is all about balance and temperature: it must be served aggressively cold, with enough lemon to make your mouth water and just enough sugar to round the edges. Bruise the mint rather than blending it to oblivion — you want the oils, not green sludge. Black salt is the insider move; it adds a savory depth that plain salt cannot.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 4 cups (950 ml) ice-cold water
- 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak), plus more to taste
- Ice cubes and lemon slices, to serve
Method
- Muddle the mint leaves with the sugar in a jug, pressing firmly to release the oils without shredding the leaves.
- Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour in the ice-cold water and black salt. Stir well and taste — adjust lemon, sugar or salt.
- Strain into ice-filled glasses, garnish with lemon slices and a mint sprig, and serve immediately.
Tips for success
- Everything must be cold before you start — warm lemonade tastes flat no matter the recipe.
- Roll lemons firmly on the counter before juicing to get twice the juice.
- Add a splash of soda water instead of still water for a fizzy version.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Cooking Tooking by Tanni walkthrough covers the same mint lemonade step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.