Summer drinks

Last summer, I discovered restaurants where the "cocktail" menu consisted entirely of fruit juice drinks. What a great idea! In the same spirit, here are a few favorites:

Lemongrass Soda

3 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths (even better: 2 T. frozen lemongrass, sold pre-chopped)
3 ounces fresh ginger, smashed
1 large lemon, juiced

[Soda water for mixing]

Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat. Add lemongrass, ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then let simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let steep overnight. Strain. Mix with soda water and ice.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

This recipe depends entirely on the sweetness of the melon and on your preferences. The main thing:
- Chop up a few cups of seedless watermelon,
- Puree them in the blender with a little sugar (not too much!) and a few squeezes of lime juice
- You may need to add a bit of water (1/4 or 1/2 cup), depending on your blender and the juiciness of the melon
You can serve the melon like this, or mix it with some chopped melon. If you're feeling very elegant, you can even garnish it with mint.

Limeade with Mint (or the Family-Friendly Mojito)

Mix the juice of 2-3 limes with about 1/2 c. of sugar (depending on the sweetness of your limes).
Put a few sprigs of mint in each serving glass. Crush the mint a bit with the end of a wooden spoon.
Fill the glasses with ice. Then pour in sparkling water and lime juice (proportions of 4/1).