Brazilian Lemonade

Guys, I love specialty drinks.  Back in my working-away-from-home days, I was known at the office for always getting the fancy drinks when we went out to lunch.  Italian sodas, frozen tiramisu (the best thing Olive Garden ever did), virgin pina coladas, the list goes on and on.  I've heard people (including my husband) say that they don't like to drink their calories.  Well I do.  Load me up with liquid calories, please.  Anywho...this recipe is one of those delicious beverage concoctions that I could never pass up.  If you've been to Tucano's before, you probably know what this is about.  So much goodness in such a little glass.  And if you don't know, let me just warn you that despite being called lemonade, it is made with limes.  I know....just roll with it.

Brazilian Lemonade

Number of Servings: 4 (but you'll want more, I promise)
Time to Prepare: 10 Minutes

• 6 cups cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 limes (look for ones with smooth, thin skin)
• 6 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Wash limes with soap & lime to get any wax or pesticide residue off the rind. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.  Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Discard the remaining pulp. Repeat with rest of the limes and sugar water.

Stir in sweetened condensed milk.  Taste it and add a little more of the milk if the lemonade is not sweet enough.  Serve over crushed ice.  (This doesn't really keep that well so I wouldn't recommend making it in advance.  Luckily it comes together really quickly--especially if you prep the sugar water and cut the limes in advance.)

Source: Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Limes