Feeling hot hot hot A Summer Refresher Juliet Scott is cooling herself down with a nice glass of lemonade... by Juliet Scott uploaded: 13-06-2006 From deep winter there finally came deep summer and promise of another vintage few months. The cold crumbled slowly to a long and luscious asparagus season, I eat many bunches washed down with gallons of butter and have now moved on to brown paper bags of shiny red cherries purchased from a cheery street stall holder and gorged while finishing a good book in a sunny park. There is also a large measure of good sport to come meaning great tragedy and perhaps, a dithering “perhaps”, the possibility of glory. The recent searing heat has required some drenching and with lemons as always on standby I turn to the best of all summer refreshers, an icy lemonade. For me this drink requires the kind of weather that we measured in childhood as road melting. After school we would be dropped at the bottom of the lane by the school bus and saunter home half a mile up a wobbly heat-waved track, which glistened with melting tar. We’d bend down and push our fingernails into the small droplets and if they left an indentation we’d know it was hot, hot. Then we hoped that waiting for us at home would be our mother’s homemade lemonade, which she only made when it was hot, hot and was the most reviving and dreamed-of drinks. Lemons, limes, caster sugar, water and loads of ice all whizzed up together in the liquidizer and poured straight into our glasses. Homemade lemonade only hits the spot when it is hot, hot, like it has been recently. This recipe with an adult addition of mint has edged out of me those last remnants of winter left by the cruel wind and rain of only two weeks ago. Let summer be long and spiriting and the lemonade guide you through any patches of sweltering heat. [The Absurd Scone] "Homemade lemonade only hits the spot when it is hot, hot, like it has been recently" Lemonade Ingredients 7 lemons (save one for slicing and serving) 100g vanilla caster sugar (if you are the type that keeps it in your store cupboard otherwise just use plain). 100g makes a lemonade that is very refreshing and slightly on the tart side, if you like it sweeter perhaps experiment with more sugar. 100ml water Bunch of fresh mint Further 500ml or water to dilute Ice cubes (lots of them) Method Wash the lemons in warm water then pare three of them. Measure the sugar and water into a pan to make a syrup, add the lemon parings and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear, leave on a gentle heat for a few minutes. Meanwhile take a small handful (12 or so) of the mint leaves and roll them together, cut thinly across the roll so that you have thin chiffons of mint and then add these to the syrup, turn off the heat and allow the flavours to infuse. Squeeze six of the lemons into a jug, then add the stock syrup and all its flavourings, stir around and allow the flavours to infuse if you have five or ten minutes. Then strain the mixture through a sieve into a glass jug and add the water to taste, finish with slices of lemon, mint leaves and loads of ice cubes, serve and be refreshed.