Cheer the Last Days of Summer with a "Passionada"

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Passionada
Passionada

I went to a small, private college with professors from all over the world. During my time there, I connected really well with two business faculty members who eventually became my mentors and friends. Once I graduated, we adopted the tradition of going out to lunch every couple of months. Hagai is from Israel, and Lloyd is an American married to a Cubana who, of course, is married to all her Cuban traditions.

Normally we visit different types of restaurants, but for the last couple of months, Hagai has been insisting on taking us to his favorite Jewish cafe where all the servers speak Hebrew to customers, whether they know the language or not. As soon as we arrive, an array of delicious dishes start coming to the table, even before we start ordering our dinner. The only thing I want right away is my drink; the rest comes at the restaurant's pleasure. I usually order their mint lemonade made with fresh mint leaves. This fragrant herb adds a nice touch of freshness to fruity beverages and teas.

Inspired by the cafe's minty drink, I decided to make homemade limonada (or lemonade), adding passion fruit and ice to it to make a cool summer drink I've called Passionada. If you want to spice it up, add coconut rum or your favorite adult spirit.

¡Salud!

(2 servings)

Passionada
Passionada

Ingredients
6 oz. frozen passion fruit
1 lime, juiced
5 tablespoons brown sugar
12 fresh mint leaves
6 ice cubes
1 cup water
Coconut rum to taste (optional)


Enjoy this Passionada while grilling up my eggplant

Directions

In a blender, mix the passion fruit, lime juice, brown sugar, mint, ice cubes and water. Blend until the mint leaves have completely liquefied. Serve in cocktail glasses, add your favorite rum (if making an adult beverage), and decorate with a mint leaf on top.

Notes

Passion fruit is an acidic fruit rich in aroma and flavor. It can be found frozen at Latin supermarkets. Fresh pineapple can be a good replacement if unable to find it.

For content that speaks to you, visit Shine Latina