Ades are super popular in Korean cafes, where you’ll find many flavors, especially in the summer. Imagine a crisp, cold, fruit-flavored soda on a hot, humid day. Just divine. It’s a popular caffeine-free alternative at cafes that you have to try.

Luckily, it’s easy to make your own at home (no need to spend hundreds on a flight) and customize! It only takes 3 ingredients and is perfect for hot days or when you need a cooling beverage.

Here’s how to make the perfect kiwi (or fruit) ade at home!

What is an Ade?

An ade is a fruit drink made with fruit purees or syrups, ice, sparkling (or non-sparkling) water, and garnished with mint or a slice of fruit. These sparkling drinks are an essential part of Korean cafe culture.

Ades are a popular alternative to coffee or matcha and are extremely popular during the summer. I can see how sweet, cold, sparkling drinks are popular in a hot and humid country.

Some cafes will use soda as the sparkling component, which is obviously very sweet. But most cafes will use club soda or sparkling water, which come in small cans perfect for one serving.

The sparkling water helps make the fruit shine, whether it’s a shine muscat, kiwi, or strawberry ade.

They’re my favorite drink to make in the summer and super easy to make.

Do Ades Have Caffeine?

Usually, ades do not have caffeine, as the main ingredient is fruit syrup. However, it’s not uncommon for a cafe to offer a tea variant, so always double-check, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine.

Ades are the most popular caffeine-free drink to get at cafes. They’re delicious and beautiful, and what’s not to love?

Popular Ade Flavors

You can practically make ades from any fruit you want. Some popular ade flavors include:

• Kiwi
• Shine Muscat Grape
• Strawberry
• Tangerine
• Cucumber Mint (Mojito)
• Grapefruit
• Peach
• Melon
• Blueberry

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. The best way to make ades is to make fruit syrup.

You can make fruit syrups in various ways or buy them premade. However, the best way is to make it yourself.

How to Make Ades

First, you need to make a fruit syrup. You can choose any fruit you like, from oranges, passionfruit, mango, etc.

Peel and cut about a cup of fruit, then add it to a bowl or jar and add one cup of white sugar. Mash up the fruit and sugar if you want, then let it sit in the fridge or counter for 3-5 hours or overnight.

Food Science Break: You might wonder why add sugar to fruit, but there’s a reason! Adding sugar creates a very saturated sugar environment for the fruit. The cells in the fruit want to maintain equilibrium, so it will send out all the moisture it has outside. As a result, the sugar draws out all the fruit juices, making a sweet fruit paste or syrup.

This is how you make the classic Korean yuza tea, which is yuzu and honey.

Once the mixture looks jammy, it’s ready to use! You can either use it with the fruit pieces or strain it out for a smoother marmalade. But most cafes leave the fruit pulp in the drink.

How to Decorate Ades

Drinking ades is one thing, making them look beautiful is another. Aesthetics are huge in Korea, and a picture of an ethereal-looking drink is all it takes to get people to visit your cafe.

Making ades look pretty is really fun! You can add fruit slices, small sprigs of mint or herbs, or even make pretty ice cubes for your drinks.

Since ades are see-through, you have a lot of room for creativity. Some people like to layer different juices or teas on top to create colorful layers.

My favorite ade garnish is a slice of the fruit and a small rosemary twig. It’s cute, classy, and easy to assemble! You also can’t go wrong with a sprig of mint, either.

Do Ades Need to be Carbonated?

No, technically, ades do not have to have sparkling water. Ades are any fruit-flavored beverage, with or without carbonation. For example, Gatorade, Powerade, etc.

However, in a cafe sense, ades usually come with sparkling water. But if you’d prefer your drink without it, that’s fine!

Are Kiwi Ades Popular?

During the summer, all the cafes in Korea start advertising fruit ades, and kiwi is a popular flavor! I think it’s because kiwis are naturally tart, so they are more refreshing than a grape or blueberry-flavored ade.

The most popular flavor, though, is either grapefruit or shine muscat grape. They’re extremely popular and very refreshing.

I’ve yet to see cafes in the United States selling ade, only Korean or Asian cafes! But I’m sure in time, if ades get globally popular, we’ll start to see them more often.

You can also find premade ades at the Korean grocery store in rippable packets that you can add over ice and with soda water. It’s usually juice or sugary fruit syrup, but it’s so convenient!

What Flavors Go With Kiwi?

Kiwi is a great fruit to combine with other fruits! It’s a little tart and mildly sweet, which is perfect for pairing with more strong tasting fruits.

For starters, kiwi and strawberry are one of my favorite kiwi combos, inspired by Capri Sun’s best flavor, kiwi-strawberry. Kiwis also go well with mangoes, pineapple, coconut, orange, and grapes.

I’ve heard kiwis also go well with bananas, but I’ve never tried it and personally am a little skeptical. I’ll have to give it a go, though!

When To Make Kiwi Ades

Ades are the best on a hot day, so summertime is perfect.

Making ades for a long day outside or before a sports practice or exercise session is also great. It’s a fun way to get some good sugar, hydration, and any electrolytes lost.

It’s also an excellent caffeine replacement when you need a pick-me-up but don’t want to be jittery.

The best part about ades is that you can prepare the fruit syrup days in advance and use it when needed.

Tips

Here are some tips on making a refreshing Kiwi Ade at home:

• Instead of soaking fruit in sugar for syrup, you can blend the fruit and sugar in a blender or dissolve the sugar in water in a pot and cook the fruit to make a jam.
• Chill the sparkling water, fruit syrup, and cup in the fridge before serving for optimal refreshing flavor. You’ll have an insanely cold drink that will shock you back to reality.
• Use flavored sparkling water for extra flavor in your drink. The best ones include lime or citrus-flavored water, which adds a nice citrus flavor.
• You can use premade jam instead of making fruit syrup for a quick drink! It won’t have that fresh fruit flavor, but it’s a convenient hack to make a quick, yummy drink.