Cool Summer Drinks for the Entire Family

 

Summertime just naturally brings to mind frosted glasses full of refreshing beverages. We present to you are favorite sangrias; smoothies; shakes; iced teas and coffees and lemonade-based drinks…………and a few for fun.

Scrumptious Sangrias

Never Fail Sangria

In a large pitcher, add 2 thinly sliced limes, 2 apples diced small, 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, 4 ounces triple sec, 8 ounces silver tequila, and 8 ounces grapefruit juice. Mix well with a wooden spoon, squeezing juices out of limes. Refrigerate mixture at least 1 hour, or overnight. Add 1 bottle of dry white wine, and 1 (12 ounce) can of grapefruit flavored soda or club soda and pour into wine glasses filled with ice to serve. Serves 8.

Dutch Apple Sangria
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 1/3 cup apple Vodka OR apple cider
• 1/3 cup orange liqueur
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup fresh apple slices
• 1 cups fresh pear slices
• 1 cup fresh star fruit slices
• 1/2 cup lemon slices
• 3 T superfine sugar or honey or sweetener

Combine vodka or cider, orange liqueur, white wine and pineapple juice in a large pitcher.

Mix in sugar or honey thoroughly until dissolved.

Add in all fresh fruit.
Store in refrigerator until ready to pour.
Serve over ice.

Iced Teas

Iced tea is refreshing, light and delicious. Look beyond the traditional black teas and try iced green, herbal and fruit teas, too. Follow the directions on the package for brewing, making it extra strong so that the flavor remains once it is diluted with ice and water.If you want to sweeten your tea with sugar or honey, it’s best to add it to the hot, brewed tea so that it dissolves thoroughly.

 

Green Tea Sweetened with Stevia

Place the four tea bags in a pot of water set to boil on the stove. Turn the heat to high. When the water comes to a boil, turn off stove and remove the pot from the heat.
Add the stevia to a large pitcher. Remove the tea bags from the pot. Pour the tea mixture into the pitcher. Stir to combine the tea and stevia.
Fill the rest of the pitcher with water when the stevia is fully mixed, after about a minute of stirring. Place the pitcher in the fridge and allow the flavors time to develop as the tea cools.

 

Mint Iced Tea

In a saucepan add 1 quart water and mint sprigs. Mix in sugar. Bring to a boil on medium heat. This helps the sugar melt so that you don’t get a grainy quality to the drink. Remove from heat, and add tea bags to strength desired. Let steep for approximately 3 hours.

Long Isand Iced Tea
(not strictly iced tea but who cares?)
1 part vodka
1 part tequila
1 part rum
1 part gin
1 part triple sec
1 1/2 parts sweet and sour mix
1 splash Coca-Cola®
If you are making a serving think (1 shot of each).
Mix ingredients together over ice in a glass. Pour into a shaker and give one brisk shake. Pour back into the glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lemon.

 Iced Coffees

If you have extra coffee in the pot in the morning, don’t throw it out, chill it to make iced coffee for an afternoon treat.

Brew coffee strong. Store in fridge. when you’re ready to make yourself an iced coffee, start by filling a glass with ice. Dispense enough of the coffee liquid to fill the glass half full (or maybe a little more). Splash in skim, 2%, or whole milk…or, if you’re a naughty Splash in skim, 2%, or whole milk…or, if you’re a naughty, naughty use half-and-half. Add honey Stevia, sugar or sweetener to taste. Add vanilla or hazelnut syrup if you wish.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Fill the glass with ice and coffee concentrate as we did before, then crack open a can of sweetened condensed milk.

 

Water with Attitude

Not a fan of plain water? Tickle your taste buds with homemade infused waters. Play around with adding different fruits to pitchers of water to come up with the combination that is right for you. Some to try:
• Thinly sliced cucumbers
• Citrus fruits
• Berries
• Pineapple chunks
• Watermelon
• Mango
• Mint
You can sweeten it lightly to taste before serving, although many people enjoy it as is.

 

Fruit Juices with Pizzaz

If you like fruit juice, try mixing them half and half with sparkling water to make a refreshing fruit juice spritzer. This is a great way cut the sugar and calories.

June Bug

3 c. ginger ale
4T. grenadine
4T. orange juice
3 scoops orange sherbet
Pour orange juice and ginger ale into a pitcher or bowl over the orange sherbet. Drizzle grenadine down the inside of the glass.

Watermelon Martinis

Place 6 c. watermelon in blender. Pulse. Add ¾ c. lemon gin, 6T. lime juice and 3T cointreau or triple sec and 3 tsp. sugar or honey (to taste). Keep in freezer until serving.

 

Punches

Summertime Punch

1 bag (12 oz/340 g) fresh whole cranberries
3 cups water
1 large banana, mashed
1 envelope Raspberry Ice Low Calorie Drink Mix
1 can (355 mL) thawed pineapple juice concentrate
4 cans (355 mL) each ginger ale
Puree 2 cups (500 mL) cranberries. Combine pureed cranberries, remaining whole cranberries and water in a large saucepan. Cook over high heat until cranberries begin to pop; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except ginger ale. Freeze about 3 hours. To serve, puree slush in food processor. Spoon into pitcher and stir in ginger ale.

Champagne Punch

12 oz frozen fruit punch, partially thawed
10 oz. frozen strawberries
2/3 cup orange juice
2 T. lemon juice
24 oz. ginger ale
1 qt. champagne or sparkling white wine
3 cups water

Place a frozen ice ring in a punch bowl.

Add the fruit punch, water, strawberries, and juices. Stir to dissolve the punch.
Slowly pour in the ginger ale and champagne.

VII: Smoothies

Avocado Smoothie

1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 cup milk
1 cup ice cubes
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Makes 3 servings.

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

1 cup apple juice or cider
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen pitted cherries

Blend all ingredients together. Serves 2.

VIII Lemonades

Lemonade with Berry Ice Cubes

1 11.5-oz. can frozen concentrate (any berry mix)
24 raspberries or 8 strawberries, sliced
2 quarts water
1 1/3 cups sugar, honey or sweetener (to taste)
1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice
8 lemon slices
8 mint sprigs

Pour the juice concentrate and 1 can of water into a pitcher. Mix to combine. Pour the juice into two ice cube trays, adding raspberries or sliced strawberries if you wish. Freeze. Combine the 2 quarts of water and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain the lemon juice through a fine sieve into the sugar syrup. Chill. Slit each lemon slice once, from center to rind. Press the slits onto eight glasses. Fill each glass with 3 berry ice cubes and the lemonade. Garnish with a mint sprig. Makes 8 glasses.

Raspberry Shot

1/2 oz. Raspberry Vodka (I use frozen raspberry concentrate in Vodka)
1 splash(es) lemonade
Mix in a shot glass.

Life’s a Peach

2 1/2 part vodka
1 part(s) Peach Schnapps
1 part(s) lemonade
1 dash(es) peach puree

Combine all ingredients over ice. Shake and strain into a high ball glass. Garnish with several peach and lemon slivers.

IX Shakes

A Shake with a Twist

Summer heat getting to you? Cool off with a tall, frosty treat that takes the traditional chocolate shake to tasty new heights.
1/2 cup milk
2 scoops chocolate ice cream
3 T. chocolate syrup
1/8 tsp. peppermint or orange extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix on high until the ingredients are evenly combined. Pour into a tall glass. Serves 1.

Peanut Butter Blast

For each shake, mix the ½ c. milk, ½ c. peanut butter, and maple syrup or honey to taste in a blender for several seconds, until smooth. Add 2 scoops of ice cream and pulse until just combined. Makes one 12-ounce shake.

Variation: Omit the syrup or honey and, after blending in the ice cream, stir in 1 large chopped peanut butter cup.

What are some of your favorite summer drinks? How do you avoid the temptation to buy fancy iced drinks?