As the outside temps rise, I find myself thirsting for a cool, refreshing drink. Usually my pitcher of infused water does the trick, but, some days I crave a little fizz. Instead of turning to soda, I channel my inner German and quench my thirst with a schorle.
What Is a Schorle?
We learned about this delightful beverage combination while visiting our exchange daughter’s family in her hometown of Ellerstadt, Germany. After our days of touring charming villages and 300-year-old castle ruins in 100+ degree temps, we were happy to relax and cool off in their home. The Adolf daughters would bring out bottles of sparkling mineral water and a variety of bottled fruit juices. They’d pour a small amount of juice in a glass and top it with sparkling water to make a schorle. Cool, sweet, and carbonated, it re-energized our tired tourist bodies.
Swap Out Soda With a Sparkling Schorle
To make this simple, kid-friendly drink at home, just head to your Coborn’s store and check out the NuVal scores of your favorite fruit juices. Remember higher scores mean better overall nutrition. Unfortunately, most juice scores are not overly high, ranging from 1 to 29 for the shelf-stable juices like grape, apple, and cranberry. Refrigerated orange juice can score a little higher, up into the 40’s. One clue when shopping for juices is that “cocktail” does not mean happy hour. In this case it means s-u-g-a-r. Lots of it! You’ll notice the NuVal scores plummet on the juice cocktail products. Of course, with fruit juice, a little goes a long way. And, with this drink, you get to control the ratio of juice to water.
Our family favorite schorle flavor is Welches White Grape. At a NuVal 16, it lands in the mid-range for juice scores. We usually buy Klarbrun sparkling water (not NuVal scored) because it is reasonably priced and comes in a 6-pack, but any brand of unflavored sparkling water will do.
The sparkling water gives it the carbonated “pop” of soda while the 100% fruit juice adds flavor and sweetness.
Simply grab a glass and pour in your favorite 100% fruit juice until the glass is about half full—you can adjust it to your liking. Top it off with sparkling water. Then, sit back, relax, and cool off as you sip this refreshing taste of Germany.
How Do You Keep Cool?
Please leave a comment below and tell us your favorite ways to keep cool on hot summer days. We’d love to know!
Healthy Regards,
Kelly
This is a guest post by Kelly Radi. Passionate about food and nutrition, Kelly is a freelance writer, NuVal expert, former BLEND employee, and current BLEND advocate. A wife and mother of 2 teenagers, Kelly lives in Sartell where she is often spotted at Coborn’s scouring the shelves in search of the best NuVal scores. She enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and sitting down with a good book. She can be reached at radi.to.write@gmail.com.
The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC, Coborn’s, Inc., BLEND, and the CentraCare Health Foundation.
