Kaimiloa Elementary, a three-time entrant to Lemonade Alley geared up for this year’s competition through a mixology session with Chief Lemon Head, Mr. Steve and his trusty side kick Ms. Nikki Nakamura. FYI, Ms. Nikki is both a fan of kids and a legit bartender from the New Otani Hotel in Waikiki. Over the course of an hour and a half, students and teachers dove into the deep end of the lemonade cup to explore the workings and wonders of advanced lemonade making. We’re confident that this new squad is prepared with the foundational knowledge to not only make great lemonade, but also kick any beverage or cooked item up a notch.
Food Safety, No Back Washing!
The session began with hand washing, gloving up and knife handing safety. Fruits were also washes as any germs on the outside of fruit could make their way into squeezed juice. And students were also taught how to sample taste without contaminating the main mix. Dipping straws, pouring to a dedicated cup or using a clean spoon just once are all ways to make sure germs don’t back wash into the main mix. We were also very happy to see that every student knew how to cough into their elbows instead of their hands already!
A Taste of Flavor Science
The session included jelly bean eating to understand how the nose works with the mouth to sense flavor and the beginning, middle and end of flavor as a story. Students learned that just like music or movies, taste is a story. Students were then taught a basic lemonade recipe, then cut loose to invent on their own. In this process, they sought to balance sweet to sour ratios using their new found understanding of taste. They then added more complex overtone flavors with other citrus, berries and candies.
How to Shake It Up
Garnishing, presentation and advanced preparation techniques were also taught including Ms. Nikki demonstrating how to use a shaker to make lemonade super cold. Students learned that the ice in a shaker will melt and that a super cold edible has to have more flavor (think about how strong a melted popsicle is). They also learned by tasting that making lemonade super cold changes the sweet to sour ratio in favor of sweet, so adjusting and tasting are key to making any beverage or food great.
We’re very excited to try Kaimiloa’s next generation lemonade. Good luck!