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.
I just loved this post! kalamansi juice was one of my favorite drinks growing up, and still is when I’m hanging out at Momma’s house. This provided me with an oh so true visual…
“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.”
Filipino’s use kalamansi juice in soo many dishes, it was my job to go out back before dinner and pick some fresh from our tree. It is also something every filipino guards and gets very upset if anyone overpicks or really touches there tree at all… so yes, it is very wise to watch them closely! haha
Where did you get those glasses? I love them!
It was great seeing Calamansi like this! I usually see them smaller and in a dark shade of green.
I have a variegated variety growing out in the front yard. Even the fruit is striped, too! The leaves are quite pretty, with large splashes of cream color. I placed a picture in my fledgling blog, with your post as an inspiration.
And since there’s a pot of mint (lemon variety) in the yard as well, I guess this cool evening calls for a mojito.
Amazing photographs and very interesting stories as well! I’ll be sure to read your future posts.
I’ve only heard about the kalamansi fruit this winter but damn if I didn’t want to try it! I’ve heard its juice is good for your throat but unfortunately I’ve never seen it here in Oregon. And I doubt the climate here will support growing it. :\
Growing up in a Filipino household in New York, you can imagine my parent’s nostalgia for calamansi. It was the one fruit my mother wistfully wished she could grow in her garden. Trips to visit the Philippines were especially exciting because it meant we could indulge in calamansi juice, prepared just as you have here! Now that I have my own garden in the Bay Area, this is good reminder that I should try to plant a tree of my own! It seems that it is much easier to find in the U.S. these days 🙂
The receipt is really interesting, but I adore the galsses. Where have you got them? Does the shop have a web-site? I would buy them right now))
I am growing one in the backyard! Just hoping that it will grow nicely in our colder climate of Australia 🙂
I love how your neighbors get together to grill. It rarely…no, never happens out here! I don’t know 75% of my neighbors. Anyhow, thanks for the recipe. Your term reminds me of a slight variation my friend uses “time for a tasty beverage”
I adore the photos!! It really makes me want to try the drink. Look at your site also makes me want to own a garden full of fresh produce! Maybe when I can afford a big enough land. Keep up the great work!
Wow, our famous kalamansi is featured here? I love them! Kalamansi juice is known to cure colds for us Filipinos. But with or without a cold I love an iced calamansi beverage with honey!
My former neighbor has a prolific calamansi. She was raised in the Phillipines and fondly recalls the drink you posted about as the salvation and piece of heaven for young children who have been running and playing in the humid heat.
We make marmalade with some of her calamansi every year. It is exquisite on toasted sour dough with a soft boiled egg on top 🙂
I have used the juice as the citrus in baklava with success.
Wow, I am not sure which is more enticing…the recipe or your photography. What an AMAZING presentation!
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.