Citrus wake-up

Method
Prep:20min  ›  Ready in:20min 

1. Cut the oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime in half crossways. Juice them using either an electric juicer or a simple citrus squeezer, preferably one that strains out the seeds but leaves in a generous quantity of pulp. If you have no squeezer at all, poke a fork into the flesh several times, then squeeze the juice from the fruit by hand, prodding with the fork now and again.
2. Combine the citrus juices in a jug with the lime zest, 4 tbsp water, the sugar and shreds of mint. Stir, then pour into glasses over a few ice cubes and, if you like, slices of lime and lemon.

Some more ideas

Any juicy oranges can be used – shamouti Jaffa oranges are particularly delicious with their balance of sweet and tart. Or use tangerines, satsumas, clementines, mandarins or ortaniques. * As a refreshing non-alcoholic alternative to wine or beer, dilute the mixture with sparkling mineral water – perfect for a sultry summer evening. * For a Mexican-inspired citrus and mixed fruit ‘zinger’, omit the grapefruit and lime and use 2 lemons. Juice the citrus fruit and add the diced flesh of a ripe pineapple, 3 kiwi fruit and ½ cucumber. Serve either chunky, as is, for a sort of fruit gazpacho, or whiz it all up with a hand-held electric blender until it is frothy. Adjust the sweetening to taste (you may prefer no sugar at all) and decorate with fresh mint.

Plus points

Citrus fruit are one of the best sources of vitamin C. They also contain compounds called coumarins which are believed to help to thin the blood, thus preventing stroke and heart attacks. In addition, studies have shown a correlation between a regular intake of vitamin C and the maintenance of intellectual function in elderly people. * Drinking sugary drinks with food slows down the rise in blood glucose, so aim to drink sweet drinks with meals rather than between meals.

Each serving provides

Excellent source of vitamin C. Useful source of folate, vitamin B1.