Frappe shop’s salty lemon drink conjures flavors of earlier years

I’ve been enjoying the fresh fruit smoothies at Summer Frappe for a long time, amazed that this tiny Chinatown shop can deliver so much real fruit goodness at $3.50 to $3.75 a pop when so many other purveyors resort to flavoring their "fruit" drinks with sherbet, powders and added sugar.

But I diverged from my usual path when I saw their salty lemon drink ($3.50). I was assured it was good, so I tried it, and if there’s such a thing as a time machine, this was it. The lemon-peel flavor of the preserved lemon in water took me back to small-kid time when my mom threw a bunch of lemons and salt in water-filled jars, setting them out in the backyard to dry in the sun.

The browning, withering lemons looked gross and unsanitary, but whenever we got sick, some of the lemon was brewed into tea with honey to ease sore throats.

Here the lemon is mixed with ice-cold water and mushed up in the bottom. If you have any salt sensitivity, this is not the drink for you, but I think anyone who grew up in a Chinese household or eating cracked seed will understand the attraction.

The jarred fruit in the shop window are also available for purchase, at eight preserved calamansi or three preserved lemons for $5.

Summer Frappe is at 82 N. Pauahi St. (corner of Maunakea Street). Call 772-9291.

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