Recipe first, tidbits second. Enjoy!

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Coral Citrus Sparkler

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Refreshingly light while packed with flavor, this sparkling citrus medley is the perfect addition to any hot summer day. Enjoy it alongside breakfast for a blast of vitamin C or as a standalone afternoon snack. Add a splash of something harder to transform it into a new happy hour favorite.

  • Author: Carol the Cook
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Total Time: 10 Minutes
  • Yield: 2 Cups 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Juicer
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries
  • 1 large grapefruit
  • 4 medium oranges
  • 1/4 cup sparkling water

Instructions

  1. Remove the green tops from the strawberries and puree them in a food processor on high for 1 minute or until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Juice grapefruit and oranges using a citrus juicer. Hold back several orange wheels for garnishes as desired.
  3. Combine strawberry, grapefruit, and orange juices with sparkling water and stir.
  4. Garnish with orange wheels or strawberries as desired and serve.

Notes

  • Make it ahead of time – Combine the fruit juices and keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours in advance. Add the sparkling water at the last minute to keep it from going flat. 
  • What about the strawberry seeds? – When stirred in with the rest of the juice and sparkling water you won’t notice them.
  • What kind of sparkling water? – I’m a sucker for S. Pellegrino myself but any bubbly will do.
  • Stir by hand – Mixing everything together in the food processor or blender makes the resulting juice too frothy so be sure to stir everything together by hand.

This Recipe’s Roots

One day in the not too distant past my husband came home with an electric juicer which was a bold move given he knows my feelings about single use appliances. At first I was annoyed by the additional countertop clutter but after I read the little machine’s manual and discovered a fresh margarita recipe I was intrigued. Not to mention my husband loves fresh squeezed orange juice and what good wife doesn’t want to make her man happy?

Newly inspired by the incomparable deliciousness and beauty of fresh squeezed citrus I started experimenting with different combinations of juice. The strawberries were an incidental addition because we had a mountain of them on the verge of spoiling in the fridge. Given its color and refreshing blend of flavors, the coral citrus sparkler became a fast family favorite.

Ironically I now use the citrus juicer way more than my husband does.

Taking a Closer Look

The fresher the fruit, the better for this recipe (and pretty much every other recipe for that matter). Isn’t the volume of fruit required to make just two cups of juice incredible?

The strawberries pureed surprisingly well. The resulting liquid had a very thick consistency, more like a slushy than juice but it helped to add body to the drink. I anticipate that pureed strawberries will make an excellent contender for homemade sorbets in the near future.

And given the greater density of the strawberry juice I also anticipate it’ll be a great addition for layered drinks and cocktails. Layering requires more time than I wanted to spend on a quick breakfast drink but definitely something to keep in mind for future recipes. As you can see even after fast pouring, the strawberry juice gravitated towards the bottom of the glass while the orange juice floated to the top.

What I Like Most About This Recipe

The subtle surprise flavor the strawberries add. Fresh squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice are great but they’re something everyone’s had or would guess would be in a citrus drink. The strawberries on the other hand are an unexpected twist. People eat strawberries all the time but they don’t frequently sip them from a glass.

Leftover Thoughts

There’s a lot of natural sugar in the drink but it’s also loaded with vitamin C so I figure it’s a wash on the health front. I like to count it as a serving of fruit with my breakfast. FYI it’s really hard not to have a good morning when you kick it off with one of these bad boys. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!