Last summer I was working in my lab, trying to recreate the lemonade served at Baraka Cafe in Central Square, Cambridge. I think they added a category for Best Lemonade to the Best of Boston specifically so they could award it to Baraka. You’d be surprised by how many people share my passion for this particular lemonade. It frequently comes up in conversation, at random. Anyway, now that spring is … uhh… getting ready to start thinking about coming around, I thought I’d post it. If you’ve tasted the Baraka lemonade for yourself and you have your own variation of it, let me know.
Baraka Lemonade
8oz lemonade (sweetish)
cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp rose water
1/4 tsp orange water
a couple dried rose petals (hard to find.. the spice shop in Inman Sq has them)
and some ice
Mix it all together, make sure the rose petals dehydrate a little, and serve. The cinnamon stick is not quite right… it doesn’t give enough cinnamon flavor to the drink. Baraka somehow gets cinnamon flavor into the drink without using powdered cinnamon. Is there such a thing as cinnamon extract
A variation is to do about 1/3 seltzer and 2/3 lemonade as the base… nice fizzy drink.
Comments
Feb 11 02004 1.46p
Joshua Cherry #
Is there a particular brand or type of lemonade that works best here…Newman’s Own? Nantucket Necter? Minute Maid Concentrate?
Feb 11 02004 2.09p
carl #
I like Newman’s Own for this. Or.. if you can possibly find it, DAIR-E Lemonade. I have never seen it in Boston, though.. it’s more of a down-south thing (the company is in MO)
Feb 11 02004 3.02p
Joshua Cherry #
I have a recipe that calls for cinnamon oil…this packs quite a punch, but sounds like something that would work here. I have never heard of cinnamon extract.
Jul 22 02004 2.46p
rachel #
Try rapidly boiling a stick of cinnamon in hot water for a few minutes. The liquid you generate should serve as a stand-in “cinnamon extract.” It’ll also make your kitchen smell pretty good!
The fresher the cinnamon stick you use, the less bark-y taste you’ll have in the water.
Aug 3 02004 3.38a
Liz Ditz #
There’s a company, John Wagner & Sons in Ivyland, PA, which I think has been conglomerated. At any rate, they make a cinnamon extract. You can make your own with a 10 quills of cinnamon to about 1/2 cup vodka (those little glass flasks are perfect), allow to sit for TWO months in a dark place. Also
http://www.watkinsonline.com/productDetail.cfm?product=574 $4.99/2 oz bottle
http://www.boyajianinc.com/cart/enter.html (may also have clove and anise) about $5.00/1 oz.
http://www.spicebarn.com/cinnamon_extract.htm
$6.00/4 oz
Aug 3 02004 3.41a
Liz Ditz #
http://www.ranchoalegre-lavender.com/recipes.html#
Lavender Lemonade
Take 1 heaping tablespoon dried culinary lavender, preferably “Provence” and steep for 20 minutes in 1 cup of boiling water. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour into 1 quart of lemonade and garnish with sliced lemon and sprigs of fresh lavender. Serve over lots of ice. To transform this into a lavender libation with a little extra spirit add 1 oz of chilled vodka and a splash of club soda.