Thrifty Tips from Wartime: Mix Your Own Drinks

Juice (and Non-Alcoholic) Edition

Incredible Strawberry Punch from 1944 made with fresh strawberries and lime

Happy Summer! Nature here in Maryland has decided to baptize us with fire for the new season by scorching us with 90°+ weather. Yay. Staying cool is absolutely essential for everyone. This is the time when I strategically buy watermelon for hot days. Not just for us to enjoy, but to give the rinds to the chickens under the shade of our massive redbud tree. Any bit of relief helps.

Which is where this post’s recipes come in.

Getting Creative to Quench Our Thirst that isn’t “boring water”

My kids love juice. Like a lot. All those fancy juices and delectable juice blends at the store really add up in cost though, so I try not to buy them very often. Drinking water is apparently “too boring”, so we’ve tried to supplement this by canning our own juices like blackberry and most recently, strawberry lemonade concentrate. This is a great start, but what’s next is to find some really great recipes.

One of my favorite thing is to try wartime drinks recipes. There are so many. Punches and teas and punch/tea blends, fruit concoctions, eggnogs and spiced punches—just all kinds of creative ideas! Our family has collected some favorite wartime drinks over the years which I’ll share here plus a few extra. I hope these recipes will serve as inspiration for some delicious, chilled drinks to keep you cool this summer.

1. Mint Tinkle

This is the most unflattering photo of this drink, but if it’s cold, who cares?

This drink is a bit notorious, and not just because of it’s funny name. I taught a wartime cooking class at our old homeschool co-op. It was loads of fun! I taught two separate classes of teenagers and unfortunately for the first class I forgot that I usually cut the peppermint extract in half otherwise it’s too strong… Those poor kids got the full brunt of peppermint power and it knocked their socks off. Hahaha! They talked about it for a full year and probably still remember it. I don’t think I’ve ever lived it down. LOL Well, at least it was memorable. (The above photo was taken in that very class.)

When it’s made in its proper proportions, Mint Tinkle is lemony, fizzy, with a refreshing hint of peppermint. There’s really no modern equivalent to this drink. You’ll just have to give it a try. And my kids love it. Maybe because they love saying the name so much. It is very giggle-worthy.

Mint Tinkle

(From Grandma’s Wartime Cookbook by Joann Lamb Hayes)

1 1/4 cups warm water

3/4 cup white corn syrup

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 tsp. mint extract (I used peppermint, suggest starting with 1/4 tsp and adding to taste)

Several drops green food coloring

1 (24) oz. bottle ginger ale = 4 cups

Crushed ice

Combine water, corn syrup, lemon juice, mint extract, and food coloring; chill until ready to serve. To serve, combine with ginger ale and ice. Serves 6.

Mint Tinkle Take 2: Here’s a different version that uses grapefruit juice, carbonated water (like club soda) and sugar instead. I need to try this version, especially because it relies on fresh mint which I have an abundance of in my garden!

From Good Housekeeping, July 1945

2. Orangeade

This is another classic that I had my homeschool co-op try. It’s a really good one!

Orangeade is a favorite of ours. It’s a perkier version of orange juice, it’s refreshing and it’s super easy to make! I made it for my History Preserved blog ages ago, and it’s still one that I remember and love. This recipe comes with a bonus “Fruit Cooler” recipe because they both use the base Sugar Syrup recipe. I am super equipped to make the Fruit Cooler now that I’m stocked on blackberry juice! Strawberry or raspberry would work just as well. Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple these recipes as you need.

From 300 Helpful Suggestions for Your Victory Lunch Box, 1943

3. Florida Milkshake

Sorry for the crappy picture. I took this back in 2014 when I didn’t know what I was doing. lol

Aah, Florida Milkshake. This is an odd little drink, but I’m very fond of it. I may have already talked about this one, because this uses evaporated milk. The milk gives it a nice body and makes it feel like you’re drinking something healthy. The nutmeg adds a really interesting dimension too. I think it’s unique and pretty tasty! If you’re not a big fan of the bitterness of grapefruit, increase the orange juice by 1/4 cup and decrease the grapefruit juice by the same amount.

From Victory Cook Book by Lysol, 1943

4. Strawberry Punch

Oh, my gosh, this drink is so good! We’re coming up on the tail end of strawberry bounty, so you need to try this one ASAP. I love that the syrup for this punch is made with fresh strawberries. It tastes absolutely divine!

From The Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1944

5. Apple Lemonade

I don’t have pictures for the next two recipes, because they’re ones I haven’t tried yet. They’re both from the the July 1945 issue of Good Housekeeping. These drinks look delicious, so I wanted to share them too! The first one is a very simple Apple Lemonade. Interesting, isn’t it?

6. Apricot Ambrosia Punch

And last, but not least, is the very fancy-sounding Apricot Ambrosia Punch. I love apricots, and I think they are very underrated. The mixture of juices in this one is great, and I like that honey is used as a sweetener. Best of all is the recipe note for adding a “frosted rim” to your punch cups using lemon juice and powdered sugar!

Finally, is a helpful reminder about the importance of nutrition in our summer drinks and to prioritize getting in those liquids! (Even cola. Haha!)

From “The Tinkle of Ice in Tall Glasses” by Gertrude Henry, Good Housekeeping, July 1945

Which one of these catches your eye? Let me know if you’d like to see another summer beverage post. There’s a lot more where these came from!