Photo: Chapendra / Flickr

You’ll need a good electric juicer to make these lemon-flavoured Babycakes beverages, which all make use of agave nectar as a natural sweetener. The agave lemonade recipe was inspired by the lemonade Erin McKenna made in grade school. The drink can then be used, together with yerba mate tea bags, to make her Arnold Palmer. This South American-inspired beverage lifts McKenna’s energy levels ‘without the highs and lows of coffee.’ The lemonade requires lemons, water, agave nectar and ice.

Babycakes’ agave lemonade

You’ll need the following ingredients to serve six: 14 well-washed lemons, 4 ½ cups of filtered water, ¾ cup of agave nectar and 5 cups of ice. McKenna advises to ‘wash 12 of the lemons and cut in half. Juice these lemon halves using an electric juicer.’

Slice the last two lemons lengthwise. Put these aside while you prepare six glasses by filling them up to three-quarters full with ice. Place the lemon juice, water and agave nectar into a large pitcher and stir the ingredients together. ‘Pour the lemonade over ice, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve.’

Arnold Palmer using yerba mate tea bags

You’ll need the following ingredients to make Babycakes NYC’s version of an Arnold Palmer for five: 4 yerba mate tea bags, 2 cups of ice, 3 cups of agave lemonade (see recipe above) and 5 lemon wedges. You’ll also need two cups of boiling water.

McKenna instructs the preparation of the beverage as follows: ‘Place the tea bags in a teapot and pour 2 cups of the hot water over them. Allow the tea to steep until it is lukewarm; remove the tea bags. Fill five glasses halfway with the ice, then top off with the lemonade and yerba mate.’

McKenna says the South American yerba mate beverage has become a part of her routine. She recommends: ‘If you’re confined to the kitchen and have a blender handy, toss in the ingredients, add ice, pulse for a minute or so, and sip your way through the afternoon.’

Tip: Babycakes also has recipes for hot chocolate and a vanilla shake using agave nectar.

Tags: drinks, recipes