Four Refreshing Summer Drinks You Can Make At Home
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When that intense summer sun hits your skin, few things will cool you down more quickly than a cold and refreshing drink. Even when you’re indoors and it’s a good deal warmer than room temperature, an ice-cold drink can prove deeply revitalizing. A typical cold glass of water can do the trick, but a flavorful, fruit-based drink can be even more powerfully cooling. For options you can take on the go or enjoy in the comfort of your living room, here are four refreshing summer drinks you can make at home.
1. Classic Lemonade, via The Cookful
That stereotype of young kids lining suburban sidewalks with lemonade stands exists for a reason! Lemon’s tart kick is especially refreshing when served ice-cold, and lemonade is so easy and inexpensive to make that even kids can easily put it together. Just combine sugar and water in a pot, simmer them until the sugar is properly dissolved, then add the mix to a big pitcher of lemon juice, water, and ice. If you’re chopping lemons and using their zest and juices, make sure an adult is handling the knife.
2. Strawberry Limeade, from Two Peas and Their Pod
A simultaneously sweet and sour drink that takes cues from the storied lemonade formula, strawberry limeade is all but certain to provide that sorely-needed summertime kick. After quartering some strawberries, blend them with either lime juice or freshly chopped limes in a blender until evenly mixed. Then add the mix to a large pitcher full of water, sugar, and ice. For the ultimate lime flavor, top your limeade glass with a small lime wedge (which will also make your glass look adorable!).
3. Tropical Orange Punch, from Real Housemoms
Although this refreshing summer drink is orange-based, everyone’s favorite citrus is just one of three fruits you’ll use to prepare this punch. Combine orange juice and pineapple juice as the basis for your punch – you can hand-squeeze the juice from fruits, use a juicer, or simply buy pre-packaged, half-gallon fruit juice cartons. To make your punch sweeter and more refreshing, make a syrup from strawberries simmered in sugar and water for ten minutes. Your tropical orange punch will pack both citrusy tang and strawberry sweetness, allowing it to perk you right back up from that summer heat slowdown.
4. Blueberry and Watermelon Slushie, from Food and Wine
For a thicker summer drink that might actually give you brain freeze, try this jolting, frozen mix of blueberry and watermelon. After cubing your watermelon, gather an equal volume of blueberries and mix them in a blender with sugar and lime juice. Once this mix reaches the consistency you’re going for, add a volume of ice equal to the combined volume of blueberry and watermelon. Pulse the mix on the blender’s highest setting until it reaches a slow-flowing slushie state. Unlike the other drinks on this list, you’ll store this one frozen, not refrigerated.
What are your favorite refreshing summer drinks to make at home? Share your faves in the comments!