A Delicious Kalamansi Lime Beverage
This Kalamansi limeade drink is a “Delicious Beverage.” One of those idiosyncratic sayings in our household. Always said with a snickering smile and a bit of love. And its use is reserved for those drinks we really love.
Kalamansi Limeade Drink
Every once in a while, all the neighbors in our cul-de-sac pull the grills into the circle and have a little gathering. A couple years ago, at one of these occasions, a neighbor boy from down the street joined the festivities. A cute 10 year old, skater/surfer kid. Blond, freckled, nicely tan, and with a permanent state of dishevel.
Evidently no one told him it was BYOB, cause after piling up a plate of burgers, dogs, and chips, he comes up to us, with the most innocent of voices, “Excuse me, where are the beverages?” That proper tone coming from such a minion almost had us rolling. Too-damn-cute. Being we only had alcoholic beverages on hand, we replied, “Back at your house!” Can’t let ’em start mooching the hooch. But ever since then, the term “beverage” has been endeared in our household.
Growing Kalamansi Tree
One of our rarer citruses in the garden (at least rare in the U.S.), and certainly one of the most exceptional, is our Kalamansi tree. Sort of like a super floral, heavenly, round shaped kumquat, the kalamansi is one of the citrus most people visiting our garden have never experienced. Unless they are Filipino or Vietnamese. Then they just get all giddy and we have to watch them for the rest of the evening to make sure they don’t pick the tree bare.
Like most of the citrus we grow, our favorite use of these little orbs is for beverages. Occasionally in a cocktail, if we happen to have sugar cane, a little kalamansi squeezed into the fresh sugar cane juice is absolutely divine. But one of the best ways we’ve found to highlight the kalamansi is to simply make a kalamansi-ade. Fresh kalamansi juice. Simple syrup. Water. Quite a delicious kalamansi limeade drink.
-Todd
Check out our Cocktail Recipes Here and our Complete Whiskey Guide. 
Kalamansi-ade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480ml) Water
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Simple Syrup , or to taste *recipe follows
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh Kalamansi Juice
Instructions
- Make the simple syrup if you don't already have on hand. Allow to cool to at least room temperature before making the Kalamansi-ade.
- Combine all ingredients together (water, simple syrup, and kalamansi juice). Stir well. Serve over ice.
Notes
- 2 cups (480ml) Water
- 2 cups (400g) Sugar
- Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. After cool, store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Stunning photography!
Good evening,
I’m fan of your page and it is so inspiring for me, both recipies and photographs (and your biography as well, hard to believe that you acomplished to make such beautiful photoes by yourself). I’d like to say that this photo is one of my favorite one, this dusted surface, soo nice!
Greetings from Poland:)
My mother-in-law just handed me a gianormous bag of these two days ago. My first thought was, “What the heck are these?” She said they made great lemonade and because I love sour things, I thought, OOOOHHH yes. My second thought was, I bet WORC has these, they have every citrus I think is cool and different. So I had to come to your site and to my delight what do I see, these adorable, kumkuat wanna be’s staring back at me. KALAMANSI, I like the sound of that…lemonade coming right up…thanks again for being my site for all things citrus…
I LOVE kalamansi. My introduction to tequila back when I was in college (thanks to my slight-younger cousin Mike) involved a bottle of Cuervo, a bowl of kalamansi, rock salt, and loudly-played 80s new wave hits. (Spandau Ballet sounds even better after a few shots.) Of course, that’s not why I love kalamansi, but it doesn’t hurt either.
Holy Moses, that looks delicious!!!
Kalamansi?? I’ve never heard of this adorable fruit. They sort of look like little kumquats, which are delicious popped entirely in the mouth, skin and all. I love the photo of the fruit laying next to the cutting shears.
What a great read this was. I have never come across kalamansi, but chalk them up as another reason I should move to California.
This reminds me of my childhood days back home (Phils.) I have not drunk calamansi juice in a very long time…Wish I can find them here in the east coast 🙂 Love the pictures as always 🙂
Mansi juice is now available at Fairway market
This post brought back so many memories from The Philippines for me as well. We lived in Manila for three years in the 1980s. Kalamansi was served to squeeze over fish – a very nice change from lemon or lime… but when my Mother came to visit, she thought the fruit was created/perfect for a gin & tonic! Sadly, we can’t grow the fruit in our (cold, wet) Oregon climate. Occasionally we find kalamansi at the Asian grocers… but they never taste the same… or maybe my taste memories are slipping in my old age. Thanks for the lovely photographs – and your GREAT WRITING!
Two things. First. You are very engaging writers. You achieve something a lot of pros can’t, that is, your voice shines through in everything you write. Reading your posts I feel as if you’re right here talking to me—as yourselves. That’s a real talent.
Second. The Kalamansi looks like the little orange trees you see everywhere in Vietnam (and in some businesses here) around Tet. Is that the tree? First trip to Vietnam was before Tet and it was fun to see them whipping down highways on backs of scooters. We only saw a few real ones in Vietnam, a lot are plastic. You’re so lucky to live in Eden.