You can guarantee a red drink will be on the table at nearly every Juneteenth celebration this summer. The color red symbolizes blood shed by the enslaved and also speaks to the color as a symbol of strength and spiritual significance that predates the slave trade. Historians have traced the tradition of red drink to West Africa where red teas were made from hibiscus. In areas where hibiscus was not easily grown, berries became the flavoring and means to color the beverage. As the tradition evolved over the years red drink came from more convenient sources including Big Red Soda or Kool Aid.
What Is Water Ice?
A signature icy treat of Philadelphia, water ice is a frozen dessert made from a combination of sugar, water, and various fruits. It's often referred to as Italian ice and has a consistency that falls somewhere between a snow cone and and a sippable slushy. Water ice is spoonable and will mound when served in a dish. This Red Drink Water Ice gets its red color from fresh strawberries and a strawberry syrup that is frozen then blended.
Ingredients
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1 1/4 cups sugar
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1/3 cup corn syrup
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4 oz strawberries, stems removed and cut in half (1 cup)
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2 lb strawberries, stems removed (about 8 cups)
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1/2 tsp citric acid
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2 cups ice cubes
Directions
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For syrup, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, 3/4 cup water, and the 4 oz. strawberries.
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Bring to boiling over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard solids. Chill syrup before using. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
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For strawberry puree, in the bowl of a large food processor combine the 2 lb. strawberries and the citric acid. Cover; process until smooth. (You should have about 4 cups.) Transfer to an 8-cup freezer container. Cover; freeze until firm, 3 hours to overnight. You want the puree to be firm enough to hold its shape when broken into chunks with a fork. If frozen overnight, let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes to soften slightly. Using a fork, break frozen puree into 1-inch chunks.
Test Kitchen Tip: Citric acid is a preservative used to make jam. You can substitute 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for the citric acid in this recipe.
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In the bowl of a large food processor combine chunks of frozen puree, strawberry syrup, and the ice. Cover and process until the mixture has an even, icy texture, 3 to 5 minutes. Return to freezer container. Cover; freeze 1 to 2 hours before serving to allow mixture to "reset." For serving, the texture should be like a fine, relatively soft slush. Water ice can be reblended up to three times.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 115 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 30g | Carbs |
| 0g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 14 | |
| Calories 115.2 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 0.2g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 7.2mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 29.6g | 11% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 5% |
| Total Sugars 27.6g | |
| Protein 0.5g | 1% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 42.9mg | 48% |
| Calcium 13.9mg | 1% |
| Iron 0.3mg | 2% |
| Potassium 112mg | 2% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0g | |
| Vitamin D 0IU | |
| Alanine 0g | |
| Arginine 0g | |
| Ash 0.3g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.1g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 4.2mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 483.1kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 26.4mcg | |
| Folate, total 17.5mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0.1g | |
| Glycine 0g | |
| Histidine 0g | |
| Isoleucine 0g | |
| Leucine 0g | |
| Lysine 0g | |
| Methionine 0g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 9.9mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.3mg | |
| Niacin 0.3mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 17.5mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.1mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0g | |
| Phytosterols 8.7mg | |
| Proline 0g | |
| Retinol 0mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 0.5mcg | |
| Serine 0g | |
| Starch 0g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.2mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0g | |
| Valine 0g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 8.8IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 0.7mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1.6mcg | |
| Water 100.7g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.1mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.