Several years ago during a blistering Summer, I had this drink at a Vietnamese restaurant. Soda chanh tuoi (a.k.a., soda chanh duong, or simply soda chanh), or soda lemonade as it’s often listed on menus, is usually made with limes, but it also tastes good with lemons. This drink is Most Revitalizing on hot days, when one’s energy is sapped.
It’s a shame our Bearss lime bears fruit during the Winter. But the limes have a decent shelf life, so usage can be stretched through early Spring. Fortunately the Meyer lemon produces year round. The same goes for the spearmint in the backyard which is ever spreading, never dying. 
I wonder what other mint family leaves would go well in this drink? Perhaps Thai basil, peppermint, or even shisho (perilla)?
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar, but use more or less to suit your taste
- (optional) 3 to 6 spearmint leaves, torn if large
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups seltzer water, sparkling mineral water, or filtered tap water
- ice cubes
Method
- Mix the lime or lemon juice with the sugar in a tall glass. The sugar doesn’t need to be completely dissolved; I find the occaisional sugar crunch a fun sensation. When the juice becomes syrupy that means most of the sugar has dissolved.
- If using mint, muddle it for a few seconds in the juice.
- Slowly add the seltzer water to the juice, stirring to mix. Add ice cubes and serve. Refresh!
2 comments
I’d be tempted to try Salvia elegans - pineapple sage. Also lemon verbena, and apple mint.
P-sage and a-mint sound good, and I believe we have some growing around in various spots.
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