Frosty Limonanna for a Chill Summer Brunch
Image by Leah Koenig
When the mercury rises, there is nothing more refreshing than a glass of bracingly cold lemonade. Not even iced coffee quite compares. But there is one drink that manages to improve upon perfection: limonanna — a sweet-tart mashup of lemons, sugar and heaps of fresh mint. Variations on the drink are served throughout the Middle East, but the name was coined in an Israeli advertising campaign in the 1990s. It’s a mixture of the Hebrew words for lemon (limon) and mint (nana).
In recent years limonanna has become something of an official drink of Israel, sipped beachside in Tel Aviv or in umbrella-shaded outdoor cafés throughout the country. And like most ubiquitous and iconic dishes, everyone who makes it has his or her own technique. Sometimes the mint is used to infuse a simple syrup, which is then combined with lemon juice and water. Other times, whole fresh mint leaves are blended right into the drink, creating a frothy, bright-green cocktail. A splash of rum or vodka can be added for a boozy twist, and the whole concoction can be whirled together with ice cubes to make a limonanna slushy.
However it is made, limonanna is a perfect hot-weather antidote anytime of day, but I particularly love to serve it alongside savory brunch dishes. It is a natural fit for an Israeli-inspired breakfast like a grilled halloumi and chopped-tomato salad platter, or a plate of za’atar-dusted labneh and pita. But it complements everything from a frittata or lox and bagels to savory cheddar scones.
Before long, and certainly before I’m ready for it, the temperature is bound to dip again. Until then, my blender will be working on overtime.
Slushy Limonanna
Serves 2
½ cup packed mint leaves, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 to 6 lemons)
1/3 cup granulated sugar, or more as needed
1/3 cup water
3 cups ice cubes
¼ teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
1) Add the mint leaves, lemon juice, 1/3 cup sugar, water, ice cubes and orange blossom water, if using, to a blender. Process until ice is broken up and mixture is frothy. Taste and add a tablespoon or two additional sugar, if desired; blend again.
2) Divide into two glasses and serve immediately.
Leah Koenig is a contributing editor at the Forward and author of “Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today’s Kitchen,” Chronicle Books (2015).
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
