Cranberry Orange Camp Cooler
Two juice powders, cold water, and a squeeze of lemon. A drink for warm afternoons when plain water stops going down.
- calories
- 110
- weight
- 1.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 92
- protein
- 0 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 2 min
- water
- 475 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- No cook
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Canoe / raft
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Powdered orange drink mix | enough for 1 cup | Tang or an unsweetened orange juice powder |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered cranberry drink mix | enough for 1 cup | cranberry juice powder, or a cranberry herbal tea sachet steeped cold |
| Lemon juice | 6 drops | from a small dropper bottle, or a pinch of citric acid |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | |
| Cold water | 475 ml |
Method
- Split the premixed powder between two cups or bottles, about half each.
- Add roughly 240 ml of cold water to each.
- Put three drops of lemon juice in each cup.
- Stir or shake until no grit sits on the bottom. Cranberry powder is slow to dissolve.
- Drink it cold. If you have snow or a cold creek, park the bottles in it for ten minutes first.
The original was two juices poured from cartons, which is not a thing you carry. Powdered drink mix does the same job at a fraction of the weight, and the flavors survive the conversion better than most fruit does. Cranberry is the reason this works: it is sour and slightly bitter, so it keeps the orange from tasting like candy.
The lemon is not a garnish. Three drops per cup sharpens the whole thing and cuts the flat, powdery edge that drink mixes get when they sit in a bottle. Keep the sugar small or skip it. Most commercial mixes are already sweet enough to be tiring after a liter.
Packing
Combine both powders, the sugar, and the citric acid in one small bag at home. Carry the lemon dropper upright in a side pocket.
Variations
- Skip the sugar entirely if your orange mix is already sweetened. Most are.
- Half the water and a pinch more salt turns it into a rough electrolyte drink for hot days.
- In cold weather, mix it with hot water instead. It reads like spiced cider.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/cran-orange-delight