SWANK

What a hot week in NJ! We were well into the upper 90’s and with the humidity it felt like 105. Nothing like the heat of Botswana which can get just as hot but is more tolerable because it’s a dry heat. My Dad’s favorite way to cool down was to drink a nice tall glass of SWANK! Swank is the Guyanese version of lemonade.  The main difference being that swank is made with limes instead of lemons.

 My Dad taught me how to make this at an early age and once I got the hang of it, it became my duty to make sure he had a glass of this delicious ice cold beverage when he got home after work. I would get creative with it and sometimes add freshly squeezed orange juice, mint or use lemons if limes were not available.

Not only is this a light and refreshing drink, it’s nutritious too! Limes are rich in vitamin C and flavonoids. Benefits include weight loss, digestion and skin care to name a few. So, be nutritious while you cool down this summer with a nice cold glass of Swank!

Ingredients

7 cups water

·   Juice of 8 - 10 limes (about 1 cup)

·   1/3 – 1/2 cup brown sugar (adjust to your taste)

·   Almond  essence (you can use any type of essence – I like almond)

·   2 – 3 drops Angostura bitters (optional)

Directions

Juice the limes and add the juice to a pitcher

Heat one cup of water

Place brown sugar in a separate, add hot water to it and stir until dissolved

Poor sugar water mixture into pitcher

Add remaining 6 glasses of water and stir

Add a few drops of essence and stir

Place in the pitcher in the fridge for 1 – 2 hours until chilled. If you need to serve immediately just add "loud ice" or plenty ice and you are good to go! This is definitely a drink that is best served chilled.

Add a few drops of the bitters to each glass when ready to serve

Enjoy!

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