Grape Juice Concentrate/ Grape Squash

It's getting hotter day by day. I can't imagine what the world would be like in a couple of years down the line with all the weather change that is happening. Our part of the world is already short of water.  Its only March and we have couple of hotter months to go for the summer to end. 

Juice, smoothies, ice creams are all what we want right now to help us calm down. Grape juice seemed like a good idea to me to help us keep the cool this summer. My mom makes it very often. If we have a function at home, its a must. Its so easy to mix and prepare the drink that a tiny kid could also do it by themselves. And should I say about how amazing they taste. Its awesome. This drink is one super cooler when I get back home after the day out. And see what I got to read while I enjoy my drink - The Jungle Book. It was a surprise by the Paper boat team. All thanks to them, I got back memories of those days when we used to rush back from the church on Sundays to watch Mowgli while we would munch on some snack. I miss those days and Paper Boat is doing a great job in recreating memories.

This is how my mom makes it. If you want to try it , here is the recipe to it.

Ingredients

1. 1 Kg black grapes
2. 800 gms of sugar
3. 1 tsp of tonovin essence
4. A pinch of citric acid

Method

• Wash the grapes thoroughly. Separate the stem and transfer the grapes into a thick bottom pan. Mash the grapes with hands to break open each grapes.
• Pour half cup of water and cook the grapes untill they are soft and mushy. Remove it from the heat and let it cool completely.
• In another pan,take the sugar and pour about 1 cup of water. Cook it untill the sugar melts and syrup if formed. The syrup shouldn't be too thick. When taken a drop of it in between the thumb and pointing finger, it should almost form a single thread. Remove it from the fire and let it cool.
• Extract the juice from the cooked grapes using a sieve.
• Once the grape extract and the sugar syrup has cooled down, combine them together. Add the tonowine and citric acid.
• Give it a mix. 
• Pour it into a glass jar and store it in a cool place or refrigerate it.
• When in need to make juice, pour about 2-3 tbsp of the grape juice concentrate in a glass and add chilled water to it. Stir it with a spoon and enjoy. 

Tips

1. Citric acid helps to preserve the juice concentrate for a longer time. If not using citric acid, refrigerate it and use the juice in 5-6 days time.
2. Tonovin helps bring in the deep colour and a little flavor to the juice.