Manila is almost as hot as the steam rising out of a lechon’s butt… Really uncomfortably hot and humid. Newspapers and websites report 36C, but feels like 41C. What does that mean, really? That because of the humidity, the net effect is to feel hotter and more bothered? If that’s right, 41C is the equivalent of 106F! I was once in New York during a serious heatwave and it hit roughly 104F then, but it wasn’t as humid as it is here. And I once traipsed through the ancestral royal mud huts of the Saudi Royal family before oil was discovered in the Kingdom, and it was a whopping 112F that day, in the shade! But honestly, the last few days have been nearly unbearably hot. Thank goodness for airconditioning, one of the GREATEST inventions of the last century in my opinion, even more important to me than a cell phone or a laptop. I kid you not, if given a choice between having a cell phone or airconditioning, I would definitely pick the latter, ditto for a laptop… :)
After hitting the market at 6am this morning, I returned home laden with produce, and sweating something fierce. As we tried to clear out some old items in the fridge to make way for the new arrivals, I noticed a lot of citrus fruit, plus had some small strawberries from baguio, so we made a pitcher of citrus juice (lemons, oranges and grapefruit (the last one, banished from our house for now due to problems with my statin medicine) to enjoy throughout the day. Amazing how fresh fruit juice is so incredibly refreshing compared with say, a canned soda. And I LIKE my canned sodas!
Into a pitcher, I added the juice and slices of say 6-7 lemons, 2-3 oranges, one grapefruit and half a pint of small baguio strawberries. Added some cold water, a few tablespoons of simple syrup (sugar + water, heated and allowed to cool) and mixed it all up. Taste and adjust either amount of fruit or syrup to your liking. Serve by pouring into large glasses FILLED with ice and add some fresh mint if you have it. I learned a trick last night from a cooking show on TV, take the mint leaves and crush them up and place them in your palm and clap once vigorously… the abuse will help the mint release its essential oils and fragrance. Keep the pitcher in the fridge, you may actually add water for a weaker tasting “ade” later in the day… Currently enjoying a glass of this citrus-ade while having a serious “conversation” with our now “67” year old chocolate labrador who is complaining that they haven’t created little airconditioned rooms that would be perfect for her to snooze in… she is feeling the heat too. :) Stay cool, everyone.
24 Responses
Beats the summer heat truly refreshing and yummy!
The ‘it feels like… (41 degrees)’ is called a heat index apparently – kind of the opposite of a wind chill factor I guess.
Lee Kwan Yew once said airconditioning was mankind’s greatest invention, so you aren’t alone :)
Have taken to munching on refrigerated oranges to help hydration. Your cocktail’s a good idea, will be adding a few things to my list at the Sunday market.
WOW!!!!! Gusto ko niyan please…..
That’s why some weather sites give you the actual temperature, then tack on a “feels like” index. Today actually feels a lot cooler than yesterday…
Another Hallmark card photo, MM..I’d give up the internet for air conditioning, too..will have to invest in a good generator soon. Retirement is just around the bend..
Keep cool!
…top your citrus-ade with some club soda, MM!…
How about just squishing the mint with your fingers? Maybe clapping vigorously will just make you more pawis!…too much energy expenditure!!!!..just kidding!
bettyq, after I drink a glass, I add a can of Sprite Zero and that’s terrific too… :)
I feel for you guys and yr beloved labrador, I was there last February and I felt the heat,too. It was 26 degrees. I drank lots of mango and coconut juice and lots of Razon’s halo-halo :D MM,yr citrus-ade looks yummy!
The way they’re presented reminds me of a Pimm’s cocktail.. Hmmm.. I wonder if Pimm’s is available locally.. :-)
MM, I am LOL right now because having traveled around the world for the last 24 years, I have finally settled down here in Cebu, and I posted on my FB page that it was 90 degrees F, but with a heat index of 107…just wish I had your refreshing drink today! Tomorrow is Sunday and the Family is coming over, think I will copy your recipe…and hopefully accolades will follow, and a thank you to MM will be toasted!
You know what else you can add to your citrus ade? …Rhubarb compote! It is rhubarb season here now, MM…I got about 8 stalks from a neighbour’s garden hoping to make it into strawberry-rhubarb pie later but instead made rhubarb compote(with a pinch of cinnamon, vanilla pod, orange zest, sugar, juice from 1 orange) …than added it to cold freshly squeezed orange juice….ANG SARRRAP! a real thirst quencher, too!!!!…I think next time, I will make rhubarb compote ice cubes and add it to the pitcher with freshly squeezed orange juice and sliced strawberries…I AM SO MAKING THIS IN THE SUMMER WHICH IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
Poor chocolate Ginger. My choc lab has taken to swimming apparently. I won’t see him till July. Perhaps they could have a play date…?
MM, had your dinuguan today and it was almost better than the lechon. Yes, that’s how good it was to me. Just an FYI :)
Nice! Perfect for a sunny day like in the pictures.
A nice sunny day is also perfect for great outdoor grilling. Inihaw na liempo anyone?
That really looks pretty and refreshing. Will have to wait till temperature rises to make that as it is still sweater time in our neck of the woods. Would have to hold off on the grapefruit though as it will conflict with my medication for hypertension. I was told even pomelo or “suha”, which is a cousin of the grapefruit, is bad. Tragic really because I can devour a whole pomelo in one sitting.
What a colorful and refreshing drink!
I commiserate with Ginger…our own shih tzu has conveniently nestled herself in our bedroom’s sofa and would not budge out from the airconditioned room! :)
myra_p, did you have it fresh at a restaurant or frozen and re-heated? If you get a chance, try the pork rib sinigang, it’s Mrs. MM and my current favorite… :)
That looks so refreshing. I also learned on TV that one can make ice cubes out of the mixture itself and use it instead of plain ice. That way, the mixture does not taste so diluted. Penny (in-house Dach) prefers plain ice though. In the palm of your hand, she licks. Hats off to construction workers, traffic-control and every one who has to work under the sun … and likewise with anybody who has to prepare food in an un-air-conditoned kitchen, summer-time or otherwise …
Our beloved four-legged family members feel the heat of the summer worse than we could imagine. They don’t sweat and only release heat through their foot pads, by panting heavily and sometimes lying down belly up. Since the start of the summer, I instructed the nanny (hehe) of my very furry “35” year old golden retriever to cool her down every morning by lightly spraying cold water in her belly all the way to the sternum, except during her “bath day” which is twice a week during the summer. Her bowl is filled with cold water and sometimes chew small ice cubes as a treat. Instead of walking her on sunny mornings, we do it at night. I think she will probably choose also the air conditioner over her chew toys if given the chance to. She will stay all night long outside our bedroom to feel the cold air passing through the sill and sneak as fast as she could to enter the room the moment me or hubby opens the door. Silly girl!
MM, since I’m having trouble keeping my weight down, what I drink is just iced water (lotsa ice) with quartered strawberries and lots of torn mint leaves. No sugar. It’s my imaginary mojito and just sip on it throughout the day. Berry refreshing! Looks so pretty, too.
Add Rum and Grand Marnier and its Good to go!!
Wow, time to beat the summer heat..
Instead of heating up water and sugar to make simple syrup, my friend puts the water and sugar in the blender and give them a blitz for a few seconds. Saves time and gasul. The consistency is not the same as that of a syrup but it works perfectly well
i should try this when i get home. i’ll probably add some pandan leaves as well
Hi MM. This is how much of a ‘fan’ I am… in bed with the flu yet i still turn on my ipad so i can check your site. LOL. I hear indeed from my family there how terrible the weather is right now and that my mom simply refuses to go out at the moment. Hubby and I even had plans to go there next month but due to the weather, we’ve scratched all that. Anyway, just forwarded a link of this post to my brothers so they too can get some ‘juicy’ relief from the heat!
MM, I had it fresh with a kilo of lechon, adobong kangkong, two platters of garlic rice and kamias shakes. The sinigang will have to wait tilll I return to Cebu, although I like to think I make a very decent version of it myself at home… :) I would have tried more but we were only five ladies and our tummies couldn’t bear more. Note: When one read the description of the 5-pork rice, she said “SCAAARRRRY!” hahaha