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Looking for something refreshing and sweet? With just two ingredients — and, well, water and ice too, but that’s not hard to come by — you can make a delicious, refreshing slushy. It’s darn near an ice cream or a liquid sorbet. You can sip it, eat it with a spoon, and even add booze to it. It’s not unlike the famed Orange Julius, the iconic slushy drink from a chain of the same name (one of the 10 vanished mall food court restaurants you may have forgotten about). But you don’t even need to go to the mall for this super simple recipe. With just a blender, lemon juice, and sweetened condensed milk, you’ve got the perfect afternoon refresher or super easy dessert.
This is just one of many genius hacks for your sweetened condensed milk. Pour one whole can of sweetened condensed milk into a blender, add two cups of lemon juice, a cup of water, and about two cups of ice. Blend it up and you’re ready to go. This is like a county fair in a glass — you’ll want to make it over and over.
You can make a simple boozy version, too, adding in your favorite tequila or vodka. Another option is to add limoncello to the mix and use an herbal garnish, like mint.
Tips for using store-bought lemon juice in the slushy
The amount of lemon juice needed may sound intimidating, but instead of using all the tips and tricks for juicing lemons by hand, you can use the store-bought version and it will still turn out delicious. Some packaged lemon juices use high-pressure processing, or HPP technology — rather than traditional pasteurization which uses heat — to eliminate foodborne pathogens and microorganisms without cooking the juice. The result is much less of a compromise on taste. Twisted Alchemy Cold Pressed Lemon Juice is treated with HPP, and it tastes pretty much like it’s made from lemons straight off the tree; be aware that once the bottle is opened, the juice has a shelf life of seven days.
Products like ReaLemon 100% Lemon Juice – the one in the lemon-shaped bottle — use sulfites to keep the juice safe in the fridge for longer. Some may complain that this type of packaged lemon juice doesn’t taste as fresh, but this option can still be perfectly tasty when blended with some ice and condensed milk. Hey, when you don’t have a grove of lemons right outside your door, something bottled is convenient to have on hand. Whether fresh squeezed or bottled, with the sweetness of condensed milk and a blender by your side, this lemon slushy will be your go-to drink on hot days for years to come.
