Mixed berry and lemonade fizz

Let the season guide your footsteps – choose whatever fresh berries are available.

Ingredients:

100 g (3 ½ oz) strawberries, hulled

50 g (1 ¾ oz) blueberries
750 ml (3 cups) lemonade

2 scoops lemon sorbet

extra berries, to garnish, optional

Method:

Blend the strawberries, blueberries, lemonade and lemon sorbet in a blender until well combined. Pour into glasses and garnish with extra berries, if desired. Make 4 small glasses.

Watermelon and strawberry slushy

Think plump and juicy when choosing strawberries. Repeat out loud: plump and juicy.

Ingredients:

2 kg (10 cups) chopped watermelon (1 large watermelon)

250 g (9 oz) strawberries, hulled

2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar

Method:

Combine the watermelon, strawberries and sugar in a bowl. Blend the mixture in batches in a blender until smooth, then pour into a shallow metal tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the mixture begins to freeze. Return to the blender and blend quickly to break up the ice. Make 6 medium glasses.

Melon freezie

Cool down on a sultry afternoon with a long, deep sip of this frosty freshener.

Ingredients:

1/3 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and chopped

½ small rockmelon (cantaloupe), peeled, seeded and chopped

500 ml (2 cups) orange juice

12 ice cubes

Method:

Blend the honeydew and rockmelon in a blender for 1 minute, or until smooth. Add the ice cubes and orange juice and blend for a further 30 seconds. Transfer to a large shallow plastic dish and freeze for 3 hours. Return to the blender and blend quickly until smooth. Serve with straws and long spoons. Make 4 medium glasses.

Note: Roughly break up the ice cubes first by placing them in a clean tea towel and hitting on a hard surface.

Kiwi delight

Choose plump kiwifruit with a little give in them.

Ingredients:

3 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

80 g (½ cup) chopped pineapple

1 banana, chopped

250 ml (1 cup) tropical fruit juice

2 ice cubes

Method:

Blend the kiwifruit, pineapple, banana, fruit juice and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Make 4 small glasses. 

Banana starter

Get your motor running with this energy blast.

Ingredients:

2 bananas, chopped

100 g (3 ½ oz) frozen blueberries

1 red apple, cored and chopped

300 ml (10 ½ fl oz) apple juice

2 ice cubes

Method:

Blend the banana, blueberries, apple, apple juice and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Make 4 small glasses. 

Orange and mixes fruit frappe

All the colours of the rainbow swirled together in a happy frappe.

Ingredients:

10 dried apricot halves

200 g (7 oz) raspberries

1 banana, chopped

1 mango, chopped

500 ml (2 cups) orange juice

1 tablespoon mint leaves
6 ice cubes

Method:

Put the dried apricots in a heatproof bowl with 60 ml (¼ cup) boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes, or until plump, then drain and roughly chop. Blend the apricots, raspberries, banana, mango, orange juice, mint and ice cubes in a blender until thick and smooth. Make 4 medium glasses.

Orange citrus crush

If only all of our crushes could be so sweet.

Ingredients:

12 navel oranges

zest and juice of 1 lime

sugar, to taste

ice cubes, to serve

Method:

Segment 2 of the oranges and juice the remainder in a citrus press – don’t strain the juice, you can keep the pulp in it. Add the lime zest and lime juice to the orange juice. Add the orange segments and sugar, stir to combine and serve over ice. Make 4 medium glasses.

Note: The juice of navel (seedless) oranges will turn bitter within minutes of juicing, so drink it immediately. Use blood oranges when they’re in season.

Tropical fruit frappe

If you’re feeling truly indulgent, serve this luscious frappe over ice cream for a tropical fantasy.

Ingredients:

160 g (1 cup) chopped pineapple

¼ small rockmelon (cantaloupe), peeled, seeded and chopped

1 banana, chopped

180 g (1 cup) chopped pawpaw
1 mango, peeled, stone removed and chopped

250 ml (1 cup) pineapple juice

crushed ice

Method:

Blend the pineapple, rockmelon, banana, pawpaw and mango in a blender until smooth. Add the pineapple juice and crushed ice and blend until the frappe is thick and the ice has thoroughly broken down. Make 4 medium glasses.

Note: This makes a great breakfast in a glass. The fruit must be ripe or you’ll need to add sugar. Add a little coconut milk if you prefer a creamy drink.

Papaya crush with lime sorbet

Sprinkled with a few orange nasturtium petals, this drink is almost too pretty to drink.

Ingredients:

300 g (10 ½ oz) chopped red papaya

1-2 tablespoons lime juice
4 scoops lime sorbet

crushed ice

lime zest, to garnish

Method:

Blend the papaya, lime juice, 2 scoops of lime sorbet and some crushed ice in a blender until thick and smooth. Pour into 2 tall glasses and top each with a scoop of sorbet. Garnish with lime zest and serve with spoons. Make 2 large glasses.

Note: There is much confusion about the difference between papaya and pawpaw. We used here a red papaya – a small, pear-shaped fruit with red-orange flesh.

Watermelon rosewater slushy

Enjoy a thousand-and-one Arabian nights with this petal-scented sparkler.

Ingredients:

600 g (3 cups) chopped watermelon

1 teaspoon rosewater

1 teaspoon lemon juice
500 ml (2 cups) lemonade

Method:

Blend the watermelon in a blender until smooth. Combine with the rosewater, lemon juice and lemonade then pour into a shallow metal tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours, or until just solid around the edges. Return to the blender and blend until thick and slushy. Make 4 large glasses.

Note: Watermelons are now available almost all year, but tend to be sweeter in the warmer months. Choose one that feels heavy for its size.

Coconut and lime lassi

Why mess with a classic?

Ingredients:

400 ml (14 fl oz) coconut milk

185 g (¾ cup) natural yoghurt

60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice

55 g (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

8-10 ice cubes

lime slices, to garnish

Method:

Blend the coconut milk, yoghurt, lime juice, sugar and ice cubes in a blender until well combined and smooth. Serve garnished with lime slices. Make 2 medium glasses.

Note: Use strong, creamy yoghurt to make sure the lassi has tang.

Pear and mint frappe

Mint plucked fresh from the plant is one of life’s surest pick-me-ups.

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled, cored and chopped

2 teaspoons roughly chopped mint leaves

3 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar

30 ice cubes

mint leaves, to garnish

Method:

Blend the pears, mint and sugar in a blender until smooth. Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve garnished with the extra mint leaves. Make 2 medium glasses. 

Orange and lemon sorbet soda

Think you’re too old for an ice cream spider? Try this grown-up version.

Ingredients:

500 g (2 cups) orange juice

250 g (1 cup) lemonade

2-4 scoops lemon sorbet

Method:

Combine the orange juice and lemonade in a jug. Pour into 2 large glasses and top each with 1-2 scoops sorbet. Make 2 large glasses. 

Hawaiian crush

Aloha summer, here we come.

Ingredients:

100 g (3 ½ oz) papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped

200 g (1 cup) chopped watermelon

250 ml (1 cup) apple juice
6 large ice cubes

Method:

Blend the papaya, watermelon, apple juice and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Chill well. Make 2 medium glasses.

Virgin mary

This drink is a terribly good tipple in its own right, but if you must add a slug of vodka, we promise not to tell.

Ingredients:

750 ml (3 cups) tomato juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

few drops of Tabasco

12 ice cubes

2 lemon slices, halved

Method:

Put the tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, nutmeg and Tabasco sauce in a large jug and stir to combine. Blend the ice cubes in a blender for 30 seconds, or until the ice is crushed to 125 ml (½ cup). Pour the tomato juice mixture into 4 glasses and add the crushed ice and lemon slices. Season with salt and pepper then make 4 small glasses.

Passion fruit lime crush

The wrinklier the passion fruit, the sweeter the pulp, so get down with an oldie.

Ingredients:

125 ml (½ cup) passion fruit pulp (about 6 passion fruit)

185 ml (¾ cup) lime juice cordial

750 ml (3 cups) dry ginger ale
crushed ice, to serve

Method:

Combine the passion fruit pulp, cordial and dry ginger ale in a large jug and mix together well. Half fill 4 large glasses with crushed ice and add the passion fruit mixture. Make 4 large glasses.

Grape and almond frappe

Almond milk is saved for special occasions in the Middle East but don’t let that stop you from making this as often as you want.

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) green seedless grapes

250 ml (1 cup) almond milk
large pinch ground cinnamon

8 large ice cubes

Method:

Juice the grapes through a juice extractor. Blend the grape juice, almond milk, cinnamon and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Make 2 medium glasses.

Note: Almonds are high in calcium and an excellent inclusion in a dairy-free diet.

Cherry blossom slushy

Serve with sushi on a Friday night and say sayonara baby to the working week.

Ingredients:

3 large Nashi pears, stalks removed

300 g (10 ½ oz) frozen pitted cherries

Method:

Juice the Nashi pears through a juice extractor. Blend the Nashi juice and frozen cherries in a blender until smooth. Make 2 medium glasses.

Whipped nougat

A veritable bazaar of flavours – sweet, nutty and smooth as a bolt of silk.

Ingredients:

200 g (1 cup) canned apricots

500 ml (2 cups) almond milk

1 ½ teaspoons natural vanilla extract (essence)

1 teaspoon of honey

few drops rosewater, optional

8 large ice cubes

Method:

Blend the undrained apricots, almond milk, vanilla, honey, rosewater and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Make 2 large glasses.

Coconut and lime juice

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts so let’s make some ice, ice, baby.

Ingredients:

400 ml (14 fl oz) coconut milk

juice of 4 limes

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract (essence)

80 g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

7 g mint leaves, optional

8 large ice cubes

Method:

Blend the coconut milk, lime juice, vanilla, sugar, mint and ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Make 2 large glasses.