Recipe Background
Miss Maxine’s Fruit Punch blends tropical juices and a shimmering rim for summer bliss.
Back when I was a starry-eyed college intern, I spent a summer shadowing Miss Maxine, a legendary pastry chef known for her enchanting creations and her secret garden of tropical fruit trees. One scorching afternoon, I found myself parched while organizing her vibrant recipe binders. That’s when Miss Maxine handed me a glass of what she called her 'magic potion'—a fruit punch that felt like a cool breeze in a glass. I watched her make it effortlessly with coconut water, mango juice, and a secret splash of homemade simple syrup, then rimmed the glass with teal sanding sugar for a touch of edible sparkle.
The memory of that punch came rushing back to me years later during a get-together with friends on a steamy July afternoon. I wanted to recreate that refreshing sensation, so I dove into my pantry—it’s where I keep a secret stash of those nostalgic ingredients. Even now, the ritual of dipping the glass rim first into syrup and then into sanding sugar transports me back to Miss Maxine’s sunlit kitchen. Don’t forget to shake the mix vigorously in the cocktail shaker for an added touch of theater. Just like Maxine taught me, it’s the gentle clinking of ice that signals perfection.
Miss Maxine’s magic taught me that a splash of creativity can turn simple ingredients into something unforgettable. This punch remains my homage to her—a legacy served with a side of shimmering joy.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup homemade or store-bought
- 3 tablespoons teal sanding sugar
- ice to taste
- 2 ounces coconut water
- 2 ounces fruit punch
- 2 ounces mango juice
Directions
- In a shallow bowl, add the simple syrup.
- On a small plate, add the sanding sugar and spread it out evenly.
- Dip the rim of the intended serving glass into the simple syrup and then into the sanding sugar.
- Fill the prepared serving glass with the ice.
- In a cocktail shaker, add more of the ice, the coconut water, the fruit punch, and the mango juice. Cover and shake to combine.
- Strain the juice mixture over the ice in the serving glass.
- Serve.
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