Lost Recipes: Sip your way to allergy relief with these drinks

We’re well into spring, which means half of us are probably choking on pollen and have sinuses draining down sore, itchy throats. Need some refreshing relief? We've got a few thirst-quenching options from the pages of the Montgomery Advertiser that should make you give a collective "ahhhhhhh!"

Fancy Orange Lemonade

These days, many get their lemonade from an instant pack. It's quick and easy, but doesn't sound nearly as tasty as this "fancy" orange lemonade recipe from 1954.

• ? cup sugar

• 3 ? cups water

• ? cup lemon juice

• 1 pint of orange sherbet (Mmmmmmmm!)

• 6 thin half slices of fresh orange with the rind left on

Mix the sugar and ? cup of water in a saucepan, and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil for 1 minute, then let it chill. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining 3 cups of water, and let it chill a while longer. At serving time, scoop some orange sherbet into the glasses, and then fill the rest of the way with your lemonade. Garnish each glass with a half slice of orange on the rim. Makes six servings.

Bottle your own ginger beer

In 1897, the Advertiser offered what even back then was an "old family recipe" for ginger beer. It starts with  1 ? pounds of granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add 2 ounces of pure ground ginger, plus a lemon that’s been sliced thin. In a pot, have 8 quarts of water boiling, then remove from heat. Pour the sugar mix into the water, and occasionally stir it until the water is lukewarm. Add a quarter of a yeast cake that has been dissolved. Mix well. When it’s cold, pour it into bottles and fasten securely with corks. Keep the bottles in moderate temperatures for 12 hours, and then put them in a cool place. The ginger beer should be ready in four to five days.

Peach Lime Ricky

Here’s a “zippy” juice drink from 1946 that sounds refreshing. To make a Peach Lime Ricky you’ll need:

• 1/3 cup of sieved, sweetened ripe peachers

• Juice from two limes

• Two drops of almond extract

• Sparkling water

Combined the peaches, lime juice and almond extract in a tall glass. Fill the glass with cold sparkling water, and garnish it with a slice of lime.

Refreshing fruit soda

Another refreshing drink from 1946 that float lovers are bound to like is the fruit soda. Start with ? cup of milk in a tall glass, to which you add about a half teaspoon of your favorite flavoring. This could be real fruit — maybe crushed strawberries — or you can use powdered fruit flavoring or extract. Fill the glass most of the way up with sparkling water and stir a little. Top it off with a ball of ice cream (I’d recommend vanilla, but whatever floats your float). Take a sip and relax.

Rainbow Julep

• 2 ? cups of of pineapple juice

• ? cup lemon juice

• ? cup orange juice

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice

This one — and the next two — are from 1956. Combine all ingredients, mix well and pour over ice.

Special lemonade

• 1 cup lemon juice

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1/3 cup light corn syrup

• 1 quart of chilled ginger ale

• ? pint of fresh strawberries

In a pitcher, combine juices and corn syrup and mix thoroughly. Add the chilled ginger ale, and serve over ice with a strawberry garnish. Makes 6 tall glasses or 10 punch cups.

Fruit nog

• 1 egg white

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 cup water

• 1 ? cup orange juice

• ? cup lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Beat the egg white and honey until it’s stiff, and then turn the mix into a quart jar. Add the juices and sugar, put the lid on and shake it vigorously. When you’re done, pour it over ice.

Russian tea

Around my childhood home, especially around holidays, mom made batches of heated drink she called Russian tea. It was nice and soothing, especially when I had a cold. I’m not sure if this 1980 recipe is exactly the same as hers, but it's a flavor that's stayed with me through the decades.

Start off with two cups of the orange drink of my youth. You guessed it: Tang. Loved that stuff — the drink of astronauts. To the Tang, add a packet of unsweetened lemonade mix, a half cup of sugar, half cup of instant tea, a spoonful of cinnamon, half teaspoon of clover, and a half teaspoon nutmeg. Mix it well, and add two heaping teaspoons of it into a cup of boiling water.

Yeah, that’s definitely not mom’s recipe. She had the whole thing in one big pot, heated up, and we’d dip it out like punch.

IF YOU TRY IT

If you decide to try one of these lost recipes please send us a photo and a note on how it went. Send it in an email titled "Lost Recipes" to Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Lost Recipes: Sip your way to allergy relief with these drinks