We have an abundance of outstanding fruits in the Caribbean so it’s only natural that we make some of the best punch/drinks in the world. Debatable? Absolutely not! That brilliant Caribbean sunshine allows us to enjoy juicy, sweet and refreshing fruits, fresh off the tree. Unfortunately.. for some reason we’re still addicted to ‘sugar’ as a people and it’s truly a shame as there are ways we can avoid the use of additional sugars in our drinks.
* It’s very important that the watermelon, mango and oranges are sweet, so you don’t have to add any added sweetener.
You’ll Need…
1 med/large watermelon
1-2 cups mango (ripe)
3-5 oranges
2 grapefruit
2 limes
1 lime
3-5 drops of mixed essence (almond extract will work great)
* Add a few drops of bitters if you’d like a slightly different taste (wonderful). If you feel the need to add a sweetener, I’d recommend agave or honey.. pure cane sugar will also work well.
As we did when making the watermelon juice, you’ll need to cut the watermelon into chunks and puree into a liquid. I added the cubed mango into the blender at the same time as the watermelon (my mango was frozen)
Strain the watermelon/mango juice into a large bowl (to remove any thick pulp) and get ready to juice the other ingredients into the same bowl. Now add the juice from the oranges, grapefruit, lime and lemons. Stir well and skim off any frothy bit at the top of the bowl.
Go in with the mixed essence, place in a jug and chill in the fridge for a few hours so you don’t have to water-down by adding ice when it’s served to your guests this summer. In case you’re wondering, mixed essence is basically distilled water, oil of almond, pineapple, pear, vanilla, strawberry, citric acid, caramel and sodium benzoate.
With only the natural sugars from the fruits, it’s a more healthy choice for you and your children, so there’s no real guilt if they have a glass or two on those hot summer days. Before you do anything else, you can go and toss out those packages of Kool Aid you have. Go in with a bit or orange liquor and rum (tequila will work too) and you have the makings for a super adult beverage.
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I’ve made this and it is fantastic. It made alot so I made ice cubes with the left over and we really loved using them in a rum and ginger beer.