Nectarine Limeade

The hot weather has still not let up here in Boston, which means there is a definite need for more delicious cold drinks.  This one is a little more labor intensive than I would normally recommend, but on the other hand it is really refreshing and delicious.  The annoying part here is that the nectarines are blanched in boiling water to make peeling easier -- you could potentially skip this step, but then the peeling part would be more time consuming.  In any case, once those nectarines are peeled, they're combined with lime juice and sugar for a lovely pink, perfectly sweet-tart summer drink.  

Important note: we found that the flavors were best after they had some time to combine and chill in the fridge -- right after mixing the drink was a little too sharp, but it had mellowed out perfectly when we tried more the next day.

Nectarine Limeade

(Serves 4 or so)

3 nectarines

4 limes

1/4 cup superfine sugar

2 cups water

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Cut an X in the bottom of each nectarine, and then boil for 60 seconds.  Run until cold water, and then peel.

2. Chop the nectarines into chunks and add to a blender.  Squeeze the limes over the nectarines, and add the sugar and water.  Blend until very smooth.

3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher.

4. Chill for several hours before serving over ice.