Mint Lemonade (Limon bi Na’na)

The glass is pale green, foaming on top, with a few mint leaves floating. Four things go into it: fresh lemon juice, a fistful of mint leaves, sugar and ice. From Damascus to Aleppo it is the most ordered glass on a summer menu, and it goes by the same name everywhere: limon bi na’na.

What goes in

Lemon juice, mint, sugar and ice turn together in the blender. The mint breaks up with the liquid, which is where the green comes from, and the crushed ice gives the foam. Proportions shift from kitchen to kitchen: some go heavy on mint and light on lemon, others the other way round.

How to order it

If it is not on the menu, say limon bi na’na and they will know. Mention the sugar when you order, because the default is sweet. The mint on top is not decoration; it is half the taste and it goes down with the glass.

Why mint

Mint is everywhere in Syrian cooking — in tabbouleh, in fattoush, in shanineh, on top of soup. This drink is its version in a glass. It does not replace ayran on the summer table; it sits next to it.

How old the glass is

The blended, iced version spread after the 1990s. Before that it was simpler: lemonade with pounded mint on top. Some households still make it the old way, and it comes out lighter in colour and finer in taste.

The argument about who invented it

The origin is disputed and two claims sit side by side. On one side, the claim that an Israeli advertising campaign in the 1990s invented the drink; on the other, the Palestinian objection that it was being made in Hebron long before that. Arabic Wikipedia reports both. This page reports the claims as claims and takes no side.