Dog Days of August Sweet Refreshing Drink

 

Photo Courtesy of pexels.com

 

The Dog Days of August aren’t far away now. It’s been in the nineties where I live and a cooling iced summer drink, sipped under a patio umbrella, is always refreshing in summer’s heat.

 Here’s a recipe I got from a girlfriend when we had a writer’s retreat at a lake house. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Citrus Mint Drink

Ingredients:

 

2 ½ cups water

2 cups sugar

Rind of 1 orange

Juice of 2 oranges

Juice of 6 lemons

2 handfuls of mint leaves, rinsed clean

 

Directions:

Make a syrup of sugar and water by boiling 10 minutes. While cooking, place the orange rind, the orange and lemon juice (seeds and all) and the mint leaves in a large bowl or pot. Pour the boiling syrup over the juice and mint and cover. Let stand for one hour. Strain and place syrup in a jar. Keep refrigerated. (May also be frozen) Use approximately ¼ cup syrup per large glass. Good added to iced tea, lemonade or ginger ale. Add a sprig of mint and slice of lemon or orange to the glass for some extra flair.

 

Since there’s quite a bit of sugar in this recipe, I chose diet ginger ale as my drink and added the mint syrup to the diet drink. Less calories, but still all the taste and fun.

 

We didn’t do much writing at our retreat. We just relaxed, ate, and had a good time. This drink would also be good for a party. You could make it ahead, freeze it in ice cube form and add the appropriate number of ice cubes to equal ¼ cup to your tea, lemonade, or ginger ale.

And speaking of parties—as part of the Stitches Thru Time birthday bash celebration, I’m giving away an ebook copy of my sweet romantic comedy A Groom for Mama to one lucky commenter. Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing.  

 

 

 

 And of course, each comment also gets your name in grand prize drawing at the end of the month!

So, don't forget to comment today and throughout this month for your chance to win the grand prize of 8 paperback books (Sorry, U.S. residents only on the paperbacks)  and surprise giveaways all month long. 

 

About the Author

Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

 

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award. Her newest book, a romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom For Mama, is due out September 2017, from Soul Mate Publishing. You can follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook or through her blog Romance for the Ages