About Squash

Any non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that is used to make beverages is called a ‘squash.’ A squash is primarily fruity in flavor and made with fruits, water, sugar or any other sugar substitute. Many traditional squashes also have herbal extracts in them. Orange Squash is one of the more popular ones in this category.  With the arrival of summers in India, we all need those beverages that can cool our systems. Yes, chilled water is always the best. But as I mentioned in the beginning, its good to add variety too in life. So, an easy to make, simple yet quite fancy homemade squash will always come handy here. In addition to this Orange Squash, some of my other top most summer picks include Lemon Squash, Khus Syrup and Sandalwood Syrup. All these are fuss-free, super cooling and best for beating the summer heat.

About Orange Squash Recipe

I worked on this Orange Squash recipe by referring to my cooking school notes. And they helped me immensely. It is always good to refer to something that you’ve already done in the past and have been a part of. Makes things simpler and results in better outcomes too. The variety of hybrid orange I used for this recipe was the ‘kinnow’ or ‘kinnoo’ which are locally available mandarins in India. These tangerines are sweet and juicy. So, about 2.25 kg of these fruits yielded 2.25 liters of Orange Squash. From these juicy mandarins, the juice extracted was a total of approximately 1.25 liters. Since I had made a few squashes before without a preservative and all of them did spoil within few days, I decided to add one in this Orange Squash, which is potassium metabisulphite. You can source it through online portals and it is available in the markets too. It helps the squash to last as long as 4 weeks, may be more than that too. Though this recipe of Orange Squash is not sugar free, but if the oranges are extremely sweet, you can reduce the quantity of sugar. I have used unrefined cane sugar. You can also make this squash with evaporated cane sugar or regular refined sugar. The taste might slightly alter. Since I also love the flavor of saffron and the color that it imparts, I have added it in this Orange Squash too. However, this is completely optional. When storing, you have to use a good quality glass jar or bottle that does not crack or break during the heating process. Remember to sterilize it properly. Remember you can use any variety of juicy oranges to make this squash. Only ensure that they are sweet, so that you do not have to add copious amount of sugar in it.

Sterilizing for Storage

Sterilizing the glass jar or bottle that you will be using for storing the Orange Squash is absolutely mandatory. This will also add to a good shelf life of the fruit concentrate. So, while your sugar solution is cooling in the process of making the squash, you can sterilize the bottles/jars. Follow the steps:

Bring enough water in a large pot to a rolling boil. This water should be sufficient for completely immersing the glass jars or bottles in it.Next, immerse the heat proof bottle or canning jar in the hot water. Add the lids separately. Make sure to use good quality glass bottles or jars, or else they might have chances or cracking or breaking during this process.Keep boiling for 8 to 10 minutes more.Finally, remove the jars/bottles and their lids with the help of clean canning tongs or regular tongs. Keep aside till they completely dry.

How to make Orange Squash

Make Sugar Syrup

  1. Dissolve 1 kilogram of sugar in 1 liter water in a large sauce pan. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice.
  2. Stir and keep the sauce pan on the stove top.
  3. Let the mixture come to a boil. Then, simmer for 6 to 7 minutes on low heat. The sugar solution need not have any thread consistency. Just slightly on the thicker side, yet flowing. When you touch it, you should feel a stickiness. You can see the consistency in the picture.
  4. Once done, strain the sugar syrup to remove the impurities.
  5. Below is the strained dark sugar syrup. The color is dark as I have used unrefined cane sugar. Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature.

Make Orange Juice

  1. Peel 2.25 to 2.50 kg oranges. Roughly chop them, and remove the seeds. Add half of the quantity to the blender (or as required depending on the size of the blender jar) and blend till the oranges are crushed finely.
  2. Strain the orange juice through a juice strainer.
  3. With the help of a spoon, press the pulp so that all the juice is strained. This is an important step. You can also use an electric juicer to juice the oranges.

Make Orange Squash

  1. Immediately, add the orange juice to the sugar solution. This is done so that the juice does not become bitter. Work similarly with the second batch of oranges by blending the oranges to make juice and then straining it. 
  2. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Orange Squash in a small cup or bowl. Add ½ teaspoon potassium metabisulphite and stir till its completely dissolved.
  3. Add the preservative solution to the remaining Orange Squash and stir very well.
  4. Pour the Orange Squash into prepared sterilized jars or bottles till the neck of the jar/bottle.
  5. Tightly close the jars or bottles and keep the them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or even a week. The flavors become better after some days.
  6. For serving, dissolve ¼ part of Orange Squash with ⅔ to ¾ parts of chilled or regular water. You can garnish the orange drink with mint leaves, lemon slices or orange slices. Serve immediately.

How to make Orange Drink

You can refrigerate after storing the Orange Squash properly in sterilized glass bottles or jars, and use or serve it later after making the orange drink. It makes for a hassle-free, tasty and energizing beverage, whenever you want.

Just give the jar or bottle of Orange Squash a good shake.For serving, stir ¼ to ⅓ part of squash with ¾ or ⅔ parts of cold or regular water and make your orange drink.For a cold orange drink, add ice cubes. You can garnish with some fresh mint or lemon slices too.Enjoy, sip by sip!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Fresh Pomegranate Juice (Anar Juice) Watermelon Juice Recipe + How to Prep Muskmelon Juice (Cantaloupe Juice) Nimbu Pani Recipe | Shikanji This Orange Squash recipe post from the blog archives first published on January 2014 has been updated and republished on December 2022.

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title: “Orange Squash Orange Drink " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-29” author: “Terrance Dalton”

About Squash

Any non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that is used to make beverages is called a ‘squash.’ A squash is primarily fruity in flavor and made with fruits, water, sugar or any other sugar substitute. Many traditional squashes also have herbal extracts in them. Orange Squash is one of the more popular ones in this category.  With the arrival of summers in India, we all need those beverages that can cool our systems. Yes, chilled water is always the best. But as I mentioned in the beginning, its good to add variety too in life. So, an easy to make, simple yet quite fancy homemade squash will always come handy here. In addition to this Orange Squash, some of my other top most summer picks include Lemon Squash, Khus Syrup and Sandalwood Syrup. All these are fuss-free, super cooling and best for beating the summer heat.

About Orange Squash Recipe

I worked on this Orange Squash recipe by referring to my cooking school notes. And they helped me immensely. It is always good to refer to something that you’ve already done in the past and have been a part of. Makes things simpler and results in better outcomes too. The variety of hybrid orange I used for this recipe was the ‘kinnow’ or ‘kinnoo’ which are locally available mandarins in India. These tangerines are sweet and juicy. So, about 2.25 kg of these fruits yielded 2.25 liters of Orange Squash. From these juicy mandarins, the juice extracted was a total of approximately 1.25 liters. Since I had made a few squashes before without a preservative and all of them did spoil within few days, I decided to add one in this Orange Squash, which is potassium metabisulphite. You can source it through online portals and it is available in the markets too. It helps the squash to last as long as 4 weeks, may be more than that too. Though this recipe of Orange Squash is not sugar free, but if the oranges are extremely sweet, you can reduce the quantity of sugar. I have used unrefined cane sugar. You can also make this squash with evaporated cane sugar or regular refined sugar. The taste might slightly alter. Since I also love the flavor of saffron and the color that it imparts, I have added it in this Orange Squash too. However, this is completely optional. When storing, you have to use a good quality glass jar or bottle that does not crack or break during the heating process. Remember to sterilize it properly. Remember you can use any variety of juicy oranges to make this squash. Only ensure that they are sweet, so that you do not have to add copious amount of sugar in it.

Sterilizing for Storage

Sterilizing the glass jar or bottle that you will be using for storing the Orange Squash is absolutely mandatory. This will also add to a good shelf life of the fruit concentrate. So, while your sugar solution is cooling in the process of making the squash, you can sterilize the bottles/jars. Follow the steps:

Bring enough water in a large pot to a rolling boil. This water should be sufficient for completely immersing the glass jars or bottles in it.Next, immerse the heat proof bottle or canning jar in the hot water. Add the lids separately. Make sure to use good quality glass bottles or jars, or else they might have chances or cracking or breaking during this process.Keep boiling for 8 to 10 minutes more.Finally, remove the jars/bottles and their lids with the help of clean canning tongs or regular tongs. Keep aside till they completely dry.

How to make Orange Squash

Make Sugar Syrup

  1. Dissolve 1 kilogram of sugar in 1 liter water in a large sauce pan. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice.
  2. Stir and keep the sauce pan on the stove top.
  3. Let the mixture come to a boil. Then, simmer for 6 to 7 minutes on low heat. The sugar solution need not have any thread consistency. Just slightly on the thicker side, yet flowing. When you touch it, you should feel a stickiness. You can see the consistency in the picture.
  4. Once done, strain the sugar syrup to remove the impurities.
  5. Below is the strained dark sugar syrup. The color is dark as I have used unrefined cane sugar. Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature.

Make Orange Juice

  1. Peel 2.25 to 2.50 kg oranges. Roughly chop them, and remove the seeds. Add half of the quantity to the blender (or as required depending on the size of the blender jar) and blend till the oranges are crushed finely.
  2. Strain the orange juice through a juice strainer.
  3. With the help of a spoon, press the pulp so that all the juice is strained. This is an important step. You can also use an electric juicer to juice the oranges.

Make Orange Squash

  1. Immediately, add the orange juice to the sugar solution. This is done so that the juice does not become bitter. Work similarly with the second batch of oranges by blending the oranges to make juice and then straining it. 
  2. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Orange Squash in a small cup or bowl. Add ½ teaspoon potassium metabisulphite and stir till its completely dissolved.
  3. Add the preservative solution to the remaining Orange Squash and stir very well.
  4. Pour the Orange Squash into prepared sterilized jars or bottles till the neck of the jar/bottle.
  5. Tightly close the jars or bottles and keep the them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or even a week. The flavors become better after some days.
  6. For serving, dissolve ¼ part of Orange Squash with ⅔ to ¾ parts of chilled or regular water. You can garnish the orange drink with mint leaves, lemon slices or orange slices. Serve immediately.

How to make Orange Drink

You can refrigerate after storing the Orange Squash properly in sterilized glass bottles or jars, and use or serve it later after making the orange drink. It makes for a hassle-free, tasty and energizing beverage, whenever you want.

Just give the jar or bottle of Orange Squash a good shake.For serving, stir ¼ to ⅓ part of squash with ¾ or ⅔ parts of cold or regular water and make your orange drink.For a cold orange drink, add ice cubes. You can garnish with some fresh mint or lemon slices too.Enjoy, sip by sip!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Fresh Pomegranate Juice (Anar Juice) Watermelon Juice Recipe + How to Prep Muskmelon Juice (Cantaloupe Juice) Nimbu Pani Recipe | Shikanji This Orange Squash recipe post from the blog archives first published on January 2014 has been updated and republished on December 2022.

Orange Squash Orange Drink - 24Orange Squash Orange Drink - 67Orange Squash Orange Drink - 69Orange Squash Orange Drink - 65Orange Squash Orange Drink - 82Orange Squash Orange Drink - 70Orange Squash Orange Drink - 76Orange Squash Orange Drink - 30Orange Squash Orange Drink - 38Orange Squash Orange Drink - 75Orange Squash Orange Drink - 39Orange Squash Orange Drink - 60Orange Squash Orange Drink - 23Orange Squash Orange Drink - 19Orange Squash Orange Drink - 55Orange Squash Orange Drink - 68Orange Squash Orange Drink - 99Orange Squash Orange Drink - 36Orange Squash Orange Drink - 98Orange Squash Orange Drink - 19Orange Squash Orange Drink - 72Orange Squash Orange Drink - 22