Yummy Summer Beverages!
Tis the season…to be thirsty! If your family is anything like us, we are thirsty all. the. time. during the summer months. And it’s no wonder with the sun beating down on us in full force. Here are 3 of my go-to beverages that are especially yummy for summertime. There’s something for everyone!
Just an FYI: none of these beverages contain alcohol. My husband and I don’t really drink, so I kept the recipes exactly as I make them here at home. If you wanted to spice (or spike!) things up a bit with alcohol, I’m sure you can tweak these recipes to fit your desires if you so choose. Enjoy!
(One more FYI: this post contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase an item listed in this post at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
Tangy & Tart Lemonade
A couple of weeks ago, I announced to my 5-year old son that we were going to make lemonade. He was understandably excited about that since he’s currently on a lemonade kick. And as easy as it is to pick up a carton of it from the store, there’s something about making it with your kid that appealed to me.
Well, to be honest, the process was kind of a disaster!
The recipe I used (shared below) called for 4 lemons to yield 1 cup of juice. Instead, it took us no less than 12 lemons to get to that 1 cup measure line!
The recipe claimed it was “fast”. Half an hour later, my son and I were still juicing lemons. Part of the reason it took us so long was because we kept getting lemon juice and seeds all over the kitchen, which I kept trying to clean up. (I should have just let us trash the kitchen and cleaned up after we finished juicing.) I also had my one-year old daughter at my legs the whole time begging to “hold you”.
Still, when we finally finished and I poured my son a cool glass of the drink he’d just made, he couldn’t have been more giddy.
It turned out to be a sweet memory that I will cherish from this summer. And hopefully next time, the process will go faster.
If your kiddos love sour foods/ candies, they will really enjoy this homemade lemonade. And I bet you can make it faster than we did!
Tangy & Tart Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups water
- In a large pitcher, stir water, lemon juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Serve lemonade over ice. This recipe makes about 6 servings.
Cold Brew Iced Coffee
When I lived in Florida for 1o years, you could find me pretty much any day of the week with an iced coffee in my hand. I preferred iced coffee over hot when the weather was consistently muggy. I always plunked down my cash for a vanilla iced coffee at my favorite coffee chain until one day I noticed something new on the menu. “What is this Cold Brew?” I asked.
Cold brew soon came to rock my world. Oh my yum. I love how smooth it it, especially paired with vanilla and a little half and half.
The issue is that cold brew is quite a bit more pricey than the Plain Jane iced coffee, and that’s probably because cold brew takes a while, usually 24 hours to “brew”. It steeps slowly in the fridge, giving it it’s signature mellow and smooth taste. But boy, is it good. Worth the wait!
When we moved to a climate that actually has cold weather, I switched over to hot coffee most of the year, but every Saturday, my husband treats me to the yummy cold brew I’ve come to love and appreciate.
Cold brew has apparently become more and more popular because I recently started seeing ads for the make-it-yourself-at-home versions on tv. Last week, I decided to try it out myself at home. My goal was to make it taste like my favorite coffee house cold brew. It came out very close!
Here’s what I purchased if you want to try your hand at cold brew. And, yes, you do have to have the patience to wait for 24 hours before enjoying, but the result is well worth it if you can (I think I only waited 21 hours; shhh! don’t tell).
Here’s the fancy drink I ended up with. I just poured it into this gorgeous teal mason jar and topped it with some whipped cream just because I can!
Ps. There is another cold brew recipe that I’ve always wanted to try by Pioneer Woman. I just never had a container big enough to make it. Her recipe looks delicious, and she adds a really delicious twist in place of creamer. Check it out if you’re a cold brew lover like me!
Iced Honey Green Tea
I saved my favorite for last, so thank you for scrolling all the way to the end! This is what I consider my signature drink, and everyone I’ve ever served it to raves about it.
It is a perfectly refreshing blend of green tea that’s not too sweet and finishes with a lovely hint of honey. This drink is great for all seasons, but especially satifying in the summertime.
Iced Honey Green Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 family-sized green tea bags (I use this brand)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (adjust up or down depending on your taste)
- Honey (a couple good squeezes)
- water
1. Fill a large tea kettle with water and add the tea bags. Put the lid on the kettle and bring to a boil on the stove.
2. Meanwhile, measure the sugar into the bottom of a 2 liter serving pitcher.
3. When the tea boils, remove it from the stove and pour the hot liquid into the serving pitcher. Squeeze a couple dollops of honey into the pitcher and then stir liquid with a wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved.
4. Fill the pitcher with cold water up to the 2 liter line. Stir again with spoon.
5. Let the tea cool in the fridge or if you can’t wait to taste it, pour yourself a nice, tall glass over lots of ice. Drink up!
Raise Your Glass!
There you have it! Three yummy drinks you can add to your summertime table. I hope you enjoy these beverages as much as my family and I do.
What is your favorite summertime beverage? Tell me in the comments below. Cheers to summer and a nice refreshing glass of yumminess!
