It’s time to bust out your ice cube trays and find creative ways to hydrate because summer is here and the temperature is rising. After a long day at the pool or playing outside with friends and family, what you need are a variety of beverages to cool you off and leave you feeling refreshed.
Today we’re sharing three of our favorite summer drinks to serve at a barbecue, post-swim party, or just to enjoy on a lazy summer day.
Infused Water:
This is the healthiest way to stay hydrated when you’re bored with normal water. Infused water can be customized to be whatever tastes you prefer, so play around in your kitchen and fridge to find ingredients you like best. Infused water is made by placing fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your water to give it light flavor and some vitamins. Lemon, lime, mint, watermelon, cucumber, strawberry, and kiwi are just a few ideas to get you started. You can use an infusion water bottle which places your infusion in a central chamber to seep into the water, or simply place your infusion elements in a large pitcher of water and keep in the fridge.
Float Bar:
You’ll be the hit of the neighborhood at the next barbecue if you bring all the items for a Soda Float Bar! Of course, everyone knows about the standard root beer float, but you can get much more creative than that. Try sorbets in sprites or lemonades. Add a scoop of chocolate ice cream to a Cherry Coke. Rum raisin ice cream is amazing in root beer. Mix strawberry ice cream with orange soda for a fruity float! The options are endless and cater well to kids and adults.
Summer Punch:
This is the easiest punch you’ll ever make, and it will be a huge hit. Start with a small bag of pebbled ice in a large punch bowl. Add a container of frozen lemonade (the concentrated kind in a frozen cylinder) and a bag of frozen raspberries (substitute strawberries or blackberries if you like!). Dump 2-4 liters of a lemon-lime soda or ginger ale over the mixture, and then top with sliced lemon rounds. Be ready to refill this punch because it will go fast!
We wish you and your friends an excellent summer and plenty of cool drinks in the kitchen.