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Limonana

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beverages•middle eastern•vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, non-alcoholic
10 minutes•4 glasses•

Ingredients

  • 6 lemons – juiced (about 1 cup juice)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 4 cups ice cubes
  • fresh mint sprigs – for serving
Limonana

Instructions

1. Rinse the lemons and mint. Roll the lemons on the counter to loosen their juice, then juice them and strain out seeds to yield about 1 cup lemon juice.

2. Add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, cold water, fresh mint leaves, and 3 cups of the ice cubes to a blender.

3. Blend on high until the sugar is dissolved and the drink is frothy and pale green with fine mint flecks, 30–45 seconds.

4. Add the remaining 1 cup ice and blend to a thick, spoonable slush, 10–20 seconds more, until smooth but still icy.

5. For a smoother texture, pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing gently; otherwise, leave as is for a flecked, herbal finish.

6. Divide into 4 glasses and garnish with fresh mint sprigs (for serving). Serve immediately while icy.

Limonana is a vibrant mint lemonade from the Levant, celebrated for its bright, sweet-tart citrus and cool herbal lift. Blended with ice into a frosty slush, it’s intensely refreshing, with vivid mint aroma and a zesty lemon backbone. The texture can range from smooth and flecked with mint to silkier if strained, but it’s always crisp, cooling, and designed to quench heat.

Rooted across the Middle East, the name fuses the Arabic and Hebrew words for lemon and mint, reflecting its regional roots and cross-border popularity. The drink appears at street stalls and cafes from Palestine and Jordan to Lebanon and Israel, in both shaken and slushy forms. A memorable 1990s ad campaign helped popularize the name in Israel, but the combination itself has long been a summertime staple throughout the Levant.