Summers Syrupy Sweet Drops

With the dog days of summer now upon us, the sun shines late in the day and leaves many of us craving sweet refreshment. If you’re like me, nothing beats an ice cold beverage to cool off with in the late afternoon. A little sugar just seems to sweeten the rest of the day. Let’s take a look at the sugars used to sweeten summertime drinks.

My personal favorite is natural cane sugar. Every morning, I make a large café au lait and add more packets of Sugar In The Raw than I care to share. Processed from a large, quickly growing cane that grows close to the equator, the cane is cut, pressed of its syrupy juices and cooked until crystals begin to form. The brown color of cane sugar comes naturally from the cane and when separated from the sugar in the refining process it’s called molasses.

Be careful of the imitators that will take refined beet sugar and spray it with molasses to create a deceptive look alike. Yes, I said beet sugar. Unbeknownst to many, half of the “sugar” consumed in the United States is made from sugar beets. Sugar cane here in the U.S. is mainly grown in more tropical environments throughout the southern states. Refineries are required to label their sugar with beet or cane. Usually the package will say “pure cane sugar,” so if not specified, it’s probably made from refined beets.

Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, the home of the major manufacturer of corn byproducts, I grew up not knowing that most of my food and beverages were sweetened with corn syrup. This topic alone has become a forefront issue in today’s health. A wealth of information can be found both for and against our country’s connection to sweets. Yet still, one of my favorite treats when I go shopping at La Huerta Supermarket for authentic ingredients is a small bottle of Coca Cola imported from Mexico. It’s sweetened with natural cane sugar and is a welcomed splash of refreshment.

When I’m cooking in the kitchen on a hot summer day, I also love to make a bucket of watermelon fresca for the crew and I. First, I make a heavy syrup from sugar and water and as I pull it from the stove, I throw in some zest of lime before allowing to cool. I juice a watermelon and a few limes, pour them over ice and add the lime syrup to sweeten. I usually make this in one of our house made ice cream tubs and love to shake it vigorously before serving.

However sweet you like your day or your beverages, be sure to take the time to enjoy the refreshment. It’s the sweetest of moments in the day that make it worth getting up tomorrow.

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