I think I’ve picked the last longans (or longons) of the season here — well at least my plant does not have anymore to give. I was very happy that it survived the winter last year, so I can now look forward to an even bigger harvest next year. Now what to do with longans? They’re very similar in appearance to lychee but smaller and not as sweet.
Fresh Picked Longans
Their flavour is very similar to coconut water, so I decided to use them for something refreshing, something that would not destroy their subtle flavour. Here is a simple recipe for a longan refresher that will make your morning extra special. You can do it with or without alcohol. Be careful to peel your longans and remove the hard inedible seed in the middle. I encourage you to peel quickly, because you will find yourself eating the longans before you have enough to make the drink.
10 peeled and seeded longans
2 tsp sugar
6 ounces cold low sodium soda water or mineral water, soda is better.
1 tsp lemon
1 ounce anejo (optional)
Place the peeled and seeded longans into a glass and add the sugar. Use a spoon to crush the longans with the sugar. Add the lemon and anejo if you desire. Then add the cold soda or mineral water. Enjoy!
Lychees
That’s really refreshing Michael. You’re actually right, you can finish the longans before making the drink. Thanks for this wonderful beverage.
Haha.. yes, Divina. Actually I had to do the recipe twice. I had 2 harvests this year; I ate the first one before making anything. I think we have another 2 months before the first frost so I hoping the mangos and guava will make it before them. I’ll do something on them or the calamansi this year.