hey y’all,

i am so excited to share this recipe with you today. i finally made myself a kalamansi sweet tea, and it was as good as i imagined it to be. it’s light, bright, and tart with the comfort of well-steeped black tea.

i’m batch testing this right now in preparation to open my own cafe someday. that’s been a dream of mine for a decade. until recently, it felt impossible. just a passing fantasy to comfort me during my grueling 9a-5p. nowadays, it feels more in reach than ever before. i’m not close, but i’m not debilitated by false urgency. i’m building the blocks. i have time.

i’ve started to put some cornerstone recipes together, and sharing them with people in my community for feedback. this actually started as a calamansi lemonade for a potluck at my pottery studio. on the last day of class, we all bring food or drinks and share our final pieces before they go to the kiln for their second firing. i’m working on my first pottery collection, and it’s kalamansi themed. my classmates had seen some of my pieces in-process and had asked me a few questions about the fruit i chose and why. most of them had never heard of kalamansi, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to share.

i was so nervous about it. i really wanted them to enjoy it, and i put a ton of effort into getting the ratio between sweet and sour just right. sharing food and drinks is a love language for me. i put a little bit of myself into everything i make, so sharing it is so vulnerable. i was nearly moved to tears by how much people enjoyed it. i felt seen. it was so good that it encouraged me to start trying my tea recipe.

now, it’s not exactly easy to find kalamansi in north carolina. i tried a couple of local markets first before turning to the internet. i was looking for two things when shopping online retailers:

1. authentic filipino distribution

2. containing a single ingredient, and nothing more

after comparing a few brands, i ordered my kalamansi purée from a company called sun tropics. i have no complaints, and will likely order from them again. their pure kalamansi bottles deliver exactly what they say on the label.

if you’ve never tried kalamansi, the best way i can describe it is if an orange was a lemon that’s trying to be a lime. it is the most sour citrus fruit i’ve personally tried, but it has absolutely no bitterness. it’s round and full and instantly juicy the second it touches your tongue. a hallmark of filipino cooking is our heavy use of vinegar. kalamansi is so acidic that we often use it in lieu of or in tandem with vinegar, particularly in salads or when marinating meats.

basically, anything you can use a lemon for, you can use a kalamansi for (and it’ll probably be better, but i’m biased).

recipes

raw sugar simple syrup

my simple syrup recipe is passed down from many baristas before me, and it is true to its namesake. it is extremely simple, with a 1:1 ratio of sugar and hot water. your sugar selection will determine the flavor. i went with raw sugar this time, but i would highly recommend using coconut sugar for an added level of depth.

this recipe yields ~2 cups of simple syrup.

ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar in the raw

• 1 cup of hot water

directions:

• if your tap water is safe to drink, run the sink until the water is very hot

• if not, heat a pot of water on the stove on medium heat just until there are tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pot

• add your hot water to a heat resistant container

• add your sugar in fourths, stirring with a spatula until it is all dissolved

• immediately transfer to a syrup dispenser, mason jar, or whatever air tight and fridge-safe container you have around

• after refrigeration, it should be thin and viscous

kalamansi lemonade concentrate

my preferred lemonade method is to make a concentrate and then let people decide how sour they want it. this also allows you to use it for mocktails/cocktails and let people choose between still or sparkling. i used a 2:1 ratio of fruit to simple syrup for mine.

this recipe yields 3 cups of concentrate.

ingredients:

• 2 cups of pure kalamansi purée

• ¼ cup of lemon juice (i prefer meyer for the sweetness, but regular lemon works great)

• 1 cup of simple syrup

all you do is combine the ingredients in a pitcher, and you’re done!

iced tea

this tea recipe has been passed down to me from my mother, who got it from her mother, and so on. it is so extremely easy, and it’s perfect every time.

this recipe yields ~5 cups of tea.

ingredients:

• stove-top safe tea kettle

• 6 bags of black tea bags (my family uses lipton, but you can use whatever your favorite black tea bag is)

• clean water

directions:

• fill your kettle to the max line with clean water.

• place on a small burner on high heat and boil until the kettle whistles.

• take the kettle off of the heat and add the tea bags.

• steep for 15 - 20 minutes.

• remove the tea bags, squeezing out the extra liquid back into the kettle before discarding.

• transfer the tea to a pitcher and store on your counter top.

that’s it! pour over ice for a cold glass of iced tea, or combine with simple syrup for sweet tea.

kalamansi sweet tea

i have to admit that this is actually more of an arnold palmer, because the kalamansi concentrate is really the star. that said, the iced tea is not forgotten if you get the ratio right.

ingredients:

• 16 oz glass

• ¼ cup of kalamansi lemonade concentrate

• 1 tablespoon of simple syrup

• ~1 cup of iced tea

directions:

• fill your glass to the top with ice

• add your kalamansi lemonade concentrate to the bottom of the glass and swirl

• add tea to the top of the glass and stir

• add simple syrup to taste

everyone’s taste will be different, so play with the ratio and see what you like. this is my preference, because i get the biting tang of the kalamansi and the comfort of a well-brewed sweet tea. the global south meets the american south, just like me.

if you’re not a tea person, you can swap it with a seltzer for a fizzy and sweet mocktail. my preferred seltzer is limoncello la croix, but any plain or citrus seltzer would pair well with this.

some non-negotiables:

• single-ingredient kalamansi puree

• raw, brown, or coconut sugar simple syrup (regular simple syrup doesn’t hold up to the punch of kalamansi)

• a glass that makes you smile

• a cute straw or garnish

this is a drink that is designed to bring a smile to your face. do not shy away from the whimsy, and make two glasses - one for you, and one to share.

let me know if you try this! i’d love to know your thoughts, especially if this is your introduction to kalamansi. i’m so grateful to have the chance to share it with you.

i’m also going to be launching a print shop soon! i’ve been enjoying watercolor as a medium as of late, and i’ve found a lot of joy in doing some mixed-method digital designs with my finished paintings. i’m thinking this will be the first one i’ll put up for sale.

it’s new and frightening to share my art without shame. it’s always been something i thought couldn’t see the light of day. but i love to make things, and i love to share them. that’s enough.

xoxo,

kuya von