The New Year often brings new resolutions, and getting fit and healthy is probably the most common of all.
This list of healthy drinks includes sodas, infused water, a unique juice and a warm tonic to keep you refreshed all year long.
Pandan and lemon soda
Ingredients : Makes 1 drink
• 13g (1 tbsp) pandan juice
• 13g (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 160ml soda water (1/2 can)
• ice
Method
• Mix pandan and lemon juice together in a glass. Stir.
• Fill glass halfway with ice.
• Add soda water.
• For extra points at parties, serve with a slice of lemon and a sliver of pandan leaf.
Extra tips
• Add 1 to 2 tsp honey for a little sweetness if necessary.
• Fresh pandan and lemon juice can keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, so don’t worry if you have extra.
Purple lemonade with basil seeds
Ingredients: Makes 1 drink
• 2g (1/4 tbsp) basil seeds
• 50ml warm water
• 220ml cold water
• 26g (2 tbsp) blue butterfly pea water
• 13g (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 14g (2 tsp) honey
Method
• Add basil seeds to warm water and let it fully expand. It only takes a few seconds for each seed to expand, but it will only do so when it touches the water. So, if you have a heap of basil seeds to expand, this may take some time. You’ll know it’s done when the seeds have sunk to the bottom of your bowl or glass.
• Once basil seeds are ready, pour some blue butterfly pea water in a glass.
• Next, add cold water. Stir to mix.
• Get your camera or phone out (because you’ll want to record this bit). Add lemon juice to the mixture and watch the colour change from purple to a lovely pink! Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Add 2 tbsp of fully popped basil seeds. More is fine.
• Add honey for a little sweetness.
Extra tips
• Make the basil seeds in advance as they take some time to fully pop, but it’s ok if some of them remain un-popped.
• Feel free to add more or no honey. Blue butterfly pea water doesn’t have a lot of flavour in itself.
Pandan and lemongrass tonic
Ingredients: Makes 1 drink
• 12g lemongrass (about 1 stalk, white part only)
• 3g pandan leaf (about 1 leaf)
• 350ml water
• 14g (2 tsp) honey
Method
• Bash lemongrass slightly.
• Add lemongrass, pandan leaf and water to a small pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove pandan and lemongrass and serve hot or warm with honey to sweeten.
Extra tips
• Honey really makes this drink come alive, plus it’s a great addition if you’re battling a cold or flu. But if you’re diabetic or allergic to honey, leave it out. The taste of lemongrass and pandan on its own is quite mild, but still soothing.
• Make a whole batch at once as it can be refrigerated once cooled. However, it’s best to warm it up and add honey only when you’re ready to serve.
• If you’re serving to guests, pop the stalk of boiled lemongrass in for optional decoration.
Pineapple lemon and mint soda
Ingredients: Makes 2 drinks
• 230g pineapple, cut into 2cm cubes
• 5g mint leaves
• 20g (1 ½ tbsp) lemon juice
• 320ml soda water (1 can)
• ice
Method
• Take half the pineapple and combine with mint leaves and lemon juice in a jug.
• Use a wooden spoon or masher to muddle the pineapple and mint until it is all squishy and broken up. Alternatively, use a handheld mixer to blend it just a little.
• Add the rest of the pineapple.
• Pour in soda water and as much ice as you’d like. Stir to mix thoroughly.
Extra tip
• If the pineapple is sweet, don’t add a sweetener. But if it’s not sweet enough, add 2 to 3 tsp honey depending on how much is desired.
Pandan lime cilantro mint soda
Ingredients: Makes 1 drink
• 3g mint leaves (about 4 large mint leaves)
• 3g cilantro leaves
• 13g (1 tbsp) pandan juice
• 13g (1 tbsp) lime juice
• 160ml soda water (1/2 can)
• ice
Method
• Use a wooden spoon or small pestle to muddle the cilantro and mint together in a glass. Ensure the leaves break so the aroma is released. There’s no need to smash it until fine.
• Add pandan juice followed by lime juice. Stir to mix.
• Fill the glass half full with ice, and top with soda water.
Extra tips
• There’s no need to add honey, but it’s your call.
• Party idea – rim the glass with a mixture of raw sugar and a touch of sea salt for décor points.
Apple and thyme juice
Ingredients: Makes 1 drink
• 100ml fresh green apple juice (about 1 ½ apples)
• 100ml cucumber juice (about 1 cucumber)
• 4 sprigs thyme (about 1 tbsp)
• 12g lemongrass (1 stalk), white part only
• 2 cardamoms
• 12g (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 100ml soda water
• ice
Method
• Lightly bash thyme, lemongrass stalk and cardamom and add to a glass.
• Juice apple and cucumber (separately, for more accurate measurements). You can either use a slow-pressed or regular juicer.
• Add both juices to glass, followed by lemon juice and soda water. Stir to mix.
• Top with ice.
Extra tips
• Make a batch and store for 2 or 3 days!
• Due to the apple juice’s tendency to discolour, this is not the best party drink. But you can cheat and serve this in coloured glasses.
Cucumber, lemon & herb infused soda
Ingredients: Makes 3-5 servings
• 150g cucumber (1 cucumber)
• 75g lemon (1/2 lemon)
• 6g mint leaves
• 6g rosemary (1 large sprig)
• 960ml soda water (3 cans)
• ice
Method
• Cut cucumber and lemons into slices about 3-5mm thick.
• Using a pestle, lightly bash mint and rosemary leaves.
• Add cucumber, lemons, mint and rosemary to a jug.
• Pour in soda water.
• Top with ice.
Extra tips
• You can also swap soda water for regular water, especially if you’re planning to carry this drink around in a bottle and keep the rest refrigerated.
• Feel free to experiment with different fruit and herb combinations.
Pandan juice
Ingredients: Makes about 125g of pandan juice
• 60g pandan leaves (about 10 leaves)
• 150g water
Method
• Cut pandan leaves about 1cm wide. We recommend cutting them straight into the blender.
• Add water.
• Blend until the pandan leaves have shredded as fine as possible.
• Pour leaves and pandan juice into a fine sieve.
• Use the back of a spoon to extract all the juice.
• The pandan juice is ready.
Extra tips
• Don’t drink this straight up – it does not taste great. Use one of the recipes above to create a delicious pandan drink instead.
• You can use the exact same steps above to make pandan extract. Just let the juice sit in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days until the liquids have completely separated. You’ll get a light green liquid which you can still use to make pandan-based drinks, and a dark green sludge at the bottom which is the pandan extract. No need to buy artificial stuff anymore.
• The less water used, the more concentrated the colour and flavour of the pandan juice.
Blue butterfly pea water
Ingredients
• 5g blue butterfly pea flowers (15 flowers)
• ½ cup hot water
Method
• Cover flowers completely in hot water.
• Let soak for 30 minutes prior to using.
Extra tips
• You can also use dried blue butterfly pea flowers if you don’t have access to fresh ones.
• The longer you soak the flowers, the stronger and deeper the colour will be. You can store this coloured water in the fridge for several days.
• The less water used, the more concentrated the colour of the blue butterfly pea water.
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com
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