Brazilian Lemonade
Ingredients
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- 4 limes lime – well scrubbed, ends trimmed, cut into eighths
- 4 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups ice cubes
Instructions
- 1.
Scrub the limes under warm water to remove any wax; trim the ends and cut each lime into eighths.
- 2.
Add half of the cold water (2 cups), the sugar, and the lime pieces to a blender. Pulse on high for 10–15 seconds until the peels are coarsely shredded and the liquid turns pale green; do not overblend or it will become bitter.
- 3.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing gently to extract the juice; discard the solids.
- 4.
Stir in the remaining cold water (2 cups) and the sweetened condensed milk until the drink is smooth and evenly combined.
- 5.
Add the ice cubes and stir to chill.
- 6.
Serve immediately; the flavor becomes more bitter if it sits as the peel oils infuse over time.
Brazilian lemonade is a bright, creamy, and ultra-refreshing drink made with whole limes, cold water, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Briefly blending the lime pieces releases fragrant oils from the peel, giving a vivid citrus aroma that regular juice can’t match. The addition of condensed milk softens the tartness, creating a silky texture and a balanced sweet-tart profile that’s especially satisfying over ice.
In Brazil, this drink is known as limonada suíça, a style of limeade that blends the entire fruit for extra flavor. The “Swiss” moniker is thought to be linked to the popularity of shelf-stable dairy introduced by Swiss companies in Brazil, which helped popularize creamy variations. Today, both milkless and milk-enriched versions are common in Brazilian homes and cafés, and the creamy version has become especially well known abroad as “Brazilian lemonade.”