Persian Fruit Punch

I came home with two sweet lemons from the Persian market today. Sweet lemons are also known as sweet limes and they are generally found in ethnic grocery stores. I was, believe it or not, actually surprised when I cut the lemon open and it was not the least bit tart, I smells like a lemon, but it is not acididic - at all - no pucker whatsoever! They are a cool, lemony yellow light color, the skin is very smooth and thin and they are rounder than Eureka (all-purpose) lemons. I had to use it for something, so I added some juice from other citrus I had on hand, a little sugar and water and it was quite tasty and refreshing. It's like fruit punch but not too sweet -- and the color is very pretty. It has a gentle fruit flavor, and you can make it stronger by adding more juice or less water, or the optional double strength herb tea. I prefer a lighter taste and I garnish it with some pineapple sage. The kids thought it tasted like light orange juice - but they are the Hawaiian Punch types. The adults thought it was refreshing and preferred it to the sweeter drinks on the table. Another nice thing is that the pretty color is natural. I have no idea what my Persian neighbors actually do with sweet lemons, or if there is such a thing as Persian Fruit Punch, but it sounds nice, doesn't it?

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 3⁄4 cup  sweet lemon juice, also known as sweet limes (4 sweet lemons)
• 1⁄2 cup  blood orange juice (2 - 3 blood oranges)
• 1  lime, juice of
• 1⁄4 cup sugar (to taste)
• 4  cups water
• 2  herbal fruit tea bags, steeped in
• 1  cup  boiling water, and cooled (optional)

Directions

1. Squeeze the fruit juice into a pitcher, add sugar and water and stir.
2. Add optional concentrated tea.
3. Serve over ice.