Cilantro-Jalapeño Limeade

Cooking Light says: "Jalapeño adds a subtle kick, and cilantro brings grassy, herbal notes to classic limeade. Adults might like to stir in a little tequila," . . . and stirring in a little tequila (or a lot of tequila!) is exactly what many of the adults did when I took this to some friends' Cinco de Mayo party! It was a big hit, although I probably didn't need to make 2 gallons (quintuple the recipe) of it. *Note to self: only make 1 gallon (2.5 x the recipe) next year!

Yield: Serves 8
Total: 3 Hours, 42 Minutes (or 35 Minutes, overnight, and then another 15 Minutes)
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
   *I didn't seed mine, only sliced for extra heat
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 lime wedges, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 10 limes)
4 cups ice

Preparation:
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and jalapeño. Let stand 30 minutes. Pour jalapeño mixture into a large bowl; cover and chill at least 3 hours. *I left the mixture in the saucepan to go in the fridge and let it sit overnight.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in a shallow dish. Rub rims of 8 glasses with 1 lime wedge. Dip the rims of glasses in sugar mixture.
3. Strain cilantro mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, discarding solids. Stir in lime juice. Fill each prepared glass with 1/2 cup ice. Add 3/4 cup limeade to each glass. Garnish with remaining 8 lime wedges.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 155
Fat: 0.0g
Saturated fat: 0.0g
Monounsaturated fat: 0.0g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.0g
Protein: 0.2g
Carbohydrate: 41.3g
Fiber: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 0.1mg
Sodium: 56mg
Calcium: 7mg