Yes folks, summer is here and it has brought along a legacy of hot and lethargic days along with it. The easiest way to cool off in this unending heat is to grab an iced drink and relax. So here are some recipes which are not only easy to make at home, but are bound to leave your sipping till the last drop!
1. Watermelon Slush
Source : damndelicious.net
Serves 4
This is a cool fruity drink which takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and is the easiest option when you’re in need for a quick fix.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups diced seedless watermelon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Juice of 1 lime (optional)
Directions:
- Combine watermelon, sugar and lime juice in a blender along with a cup of ice.
- Serve the prepared drink immediately.
2. Frozen Blueberry Lemonade
Source : realsimple.com
Add a much needed berry twist to your lemonade in this utterly new and cool drink!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of blueberries
- 1 cup lemonade
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves (more for garnish)
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
- Puree the blueberries, lemonade, mint leaves and sugar in a blender along with 3 cups of ice until it is smooth.
- Garnish the prepared drink with mint leaves and serve.
3. Pineapple Lemonade
Source : damndelicious.net
When life hands you lemons, don’t make lemonade; make pineapple lemonade!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Directions:
- To make the simple syrup, combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan over a medium flame and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Let the syrup cool before placing it in a blender with the lemon juice, pineapple juice and lime juice along with 5 cups of water.
- Blend the mixture until smooth and place in the refrigerator.
- Serve the prepared lemonade with ice.
4. Sparkling Cherry Lemonade
Source : damndelicious.net
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces of pitted cherries
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4 cups of sparkling water
Directions:
- To make the cherry syrup, combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in the blender until the mixture is smooth.
- Place the mixture in the refrigerator until considerably chilled.
- Serve your fruity concoction over ice and sparkling water.
5. Ginger Beer
Don’t be misled by the name of this drink, it’s actually non-alcoholic and is a favourite among children due to its amazing taste!
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
- 4 lemons
- 1 orange
- ¾ cup roughly chopped fresh ginger
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ cups orange juice
- 4 cups of chilled sparkling mineral water
Directions:
- Grate two tablespoons each of lemon and orange zest. (the peel)
- Squeeze 1/3 cup of lemon juice from 3 of the lemons. Set aside.
- Process the honey, ginger and sugar in the blender until just combined. Then add orange and lemon juice and blend the mixture.
- Transfer the concoction to a large lidded container and add the orange and lemon zest as well as 2 cups of boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Cool the prepared mixture to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 5 days.
- To serve, strain the ginger beer base into a pitcher and add thin slices of the remaining orange and lemon along with mineral water to the pitcher and stir. Serve with ice.
6. Espresso Slushy
Source : realsimple.com
Want something cool and satisfying but also low on calories? This is the drink to do it!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup instant espresso
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Directions:
- Combine the sugar and 6 cups of water in a pan over a medium flame and boil to form the syrup.
- Remove from the flame and add the espresso mix, then allow it to steep for about 10 minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a shallow pan and add the lemon juice and zest.
- Place the pan in the freezer and gently crush the mixture every 30 minutes (to maintain a slushy texture) for about 2 hours.
- Serve the slush in glasses or bowls and add garnish as per your requirement (preferably cream or chocolate syrup).
7. Iced Green Tea with Ginger and Mint
Source : realsimple.com
This is a drink which is both satisfying and healthy at the same time. Not to mention the wonders that green tea works if you’re on a diet!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces of ginger (unpeeled and sliced)
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 6 green tea bags
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
- Combine the ginger and 4 cups of water in a large saucepan over a medium flame and bring to boil.
- Remove the pan and add the tea bags and mint leaves. Let it steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a large container or pitcher and add honey and lemon juice, then proceed to stir.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator and serve in tall glasses with ice and more mint leaves.
8. Homemade Ginger Ale
Source : realsimple.com
This recipe is bound to become a regular once you treat yourself to the exquisite taste of homemade ginger ale that the store bought version simply can’t compare to.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups fresh sliced ginger
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ litres of chilled club soda
Directions:
- Combine the ginger, sugar and 1 ½ cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring it to boil until the sugar dissolves entirely.
- Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes until it reaches a syrup smooth consistency.
- Strain the syrup and cool it till room temperature, then add the lemon juice and stir.
- Place two spoons of syrup in each glass and fill the glass up to ¾ with club soda. Gently stir to blend.
- Add ice and more club soda or syrup if necessary and serve.
9. Peach-mint Ice Tea
Source : realsimple.com
Add a new twist to your ice tea through this refreshingly fresh concoction!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 8 cups of boiling water
- 8 tea bags
- 4 ripe peaches cut into ½ inch pieces
- A few sprigs of mint
- Sugar
Directions:
- Pour 8 cups of boiling water into a heat resistant pitcher and add the 8 tea bags and let it steep for 10 minutes
- Allow the tea to cool till room temperature then refrigerate the mixture.
- Add peach slices and mint sprigs along with ice to the tea before serving.
10. Basil Lemonade
Source : squarespace.com
Is normal lemonade simply not enough to quench your thirst? Then pick up this groovy new take enriched with basil!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup fresh basil (tulsi) leaves
- 8 cups of lemonade
Directions:
- Over a medium flame, bring the sugar and 1 ½ cups of cold water to a simmer. Cook without stirring until the sugar dissolves and thickens slightly for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add basil and strain the syrup into another container. Discard the solids.
- Pour 2 to 3 spoons of the syrup into each glass and add lemonade.
- Add a few extra sprigs of basil for garnish and serve!
