10 Cool Drink Ideas to Beat the Heat

Summer brings with it lots of fresh fruits packed with sweet and tangy flavors. It also brings a lot of heat. So why not use those fruits to make some cool drinks and get much-needed relief from the heat! In this post, I’ll list 10 cool drink ideas to beat the heat, some of which are favorites around my home.

Whether you’re just relaxing at home or having some guests over for a barbeque, you can easily make these drinks to take your and their taste buds for a ride. As soon as you take that first sip, you’ll be hit with a wave of cool and calm.

So go shop for the fresh produce at your nearest supermarket or farmer’s market, and get ready to enjoy summer like it should be enjoyed!

Strawberry Lemonade

Lemonade alone is a quintessential summer drink, but when you add strawberries to it, the taste gets even sweeter (naturally, of course). Here’s what you need to make a pitcher of this:

Fresh lemon juice (one cup)
Strawberries (1 ½ cup, halved)
Maple syrup or sugar (1 cup)
Sparkling water (1 cup)
Water (2 cups)

Throw all the ingredients into a blender, and blend until the strawberries have blended well into the liquid. Alternatively, you can add half the strawberries to the blender, and pound the remaining half to top the drinks when you pour them into glasses.

Ginger Soda

Think ginger ale, but homemade, so even better! If you think ginger normally just belongs in warm drinks like tea, you’re wrong. It has a warm aftertaste, but it can be just as refreshing as other cool ingredients.

This soda idea, in particular, is very refreshing and cool. It has lemons and lots of ice.

Here’s what you need:

Fresh ginger (Around 11 oz, no need to peel it!)
Lemon (One)
Caster sugar (one cup)
Soda water (3 cups)
Cloves (6 whole)
Mint leaves and lemon slices for garnish

In a pan, add sliced ginger, caster sugar, cloves, and a pint of water. Heat the pan on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Then, turn up the heat and simmer the liquid for 10 minutes, so it can absorb all ginger flavor.

Turn off the heat and let it cool. Strain the liquid through a sieve and into a jug. Now, add the soda water and give it a whisk with a spoon. Add some whole mint leaves and lemon slices on the top for a truly summer aesthetic.

Watermelon Rosé

For all those fans of rosé, have you tried it with watermelon juice? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat.

Simply combine one cup of rosé of your choice, preferably something cheap if making for a lot of people, with one-third cup of watermelon juice. Add some ice cubes, throw in a paper straw, and your rosé just got a lot better.

Citrus Cooler

What if you could make lemonade even more citrusy? Well, you can. Try this citrus cooler with orange, lime, and lemon. Here’s how you make a pitcher with eight servings of this drink:

Orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice (1 ½ cup each)
Sugar (1 ½ tablespoon)
Club sodas (6 cans of your choice of brand)

Add the juices and the sugar into the pitches and stir it to mix the sugar. Add the soda cans and ice, give it a whisk, and voila, your ultimate summer cooler is ready!

Grapefruit Water

Grapefruit has such complex flavors, combining sweetness, tanginess, and even a little bit of bitterness. If you find the juice a bit too powerful, another great way to enjoy these amazing fruits is to mix their juice with sparkling water.

To make a refreshing glass of grapefruit water, you’ll need:

Fresh grapefruit juice (⅓ cup)
Sparkling water (one bottle)
Syrup (3 tablespoons)
Pinch of salt

Simply mix the three ingredients in a glass or mason jar. Want to make it alcoholic? Add a shot of vodka or tequila.

Pomegranate and Beets Smoothie

For those who don’t just want to refresh but also want some health benefits from their summer drinks, this concoction is packed with antioxidants. When you combine the benefits of pomegranate and beets, you have something of a powerhouse of a smoothie.

You can also add some greens like kale or spinach, as the powerful flavors of pomegranate and beets mask their taste.

Beet (one, peeled and sliced)
Pomegranate juice (½ cup)
Apple (just half for adding sweetness)
Greens of your choice (1 cup)(optional)
Mint leaves

Add all the ingredients to a powerful blender and blend it all!

Vegan Mango Shake

Mangoes and summers are a great duo, but there aren’t many drink options with this fruit. This vegan mango shake is perfect for kids and adults alike.

Mangoes (2, cut into cubes)
Almond milk (1 ⅔ cup)
Vanilla extract (one teaspoon)

Just blend the ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth liquid. Add some ice cubes in shake glasses and pour the drink in. You can choose any plant-based milk of your choice, but I find that the nutty flavor of almond milk balances the sweetness of mangoes nicely.

Blueberry Lemonade

Blueberries go great with lemonade, and this drink is easy to make with fresh or frozen blueberries (fresh is better).

Here are the ingredients:

Blueberries (1 ½ cup)
Lemon juice (one cup)
Lemon zest (one teaspoon)
Sugar (⅔ cup)
Sparkling water or club soda (3 cups)

In a saucepan, add the blueberries, lemon zest, sugar, and two-thirds cup of water. Bring it to a boil, and let it simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve. (You can press the berries to get more juice and pulp out of them)

Let it cool for a while. Then add lemon juice and this blueberry syrup to a pitcher. Throw in some ice cubes and pour the club soda in. Give it a whisk with a long spoon, and your blueberry lemonade is ready.

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice

This is a drink you can really make all year, as all three ingredients are available round the year. However, it’s cool enough to work on a hot summer day as well.

For two glasses of juice, you’ll need:

Carrots (4 medium-sized, chopped)
Granny smith apples (4, sliced)
Crushed ginger (2 teaspoons)

Simply toss the ingredients in a power blender or juicer that you have at home. While a masticating juicer or juice press is the best for this particular juice, you can really just use whatever machine you have.

Pineapple Ice Tea

You’ve probably had lemon ice tea and peach ice tea many times. Now, give its sweeter cousin a try: the pineapple ice tea. It’s pretty simple and easy to make.

Boil one cup of water and add a green tea bag and a sprig of thyme to it. Stir for three to five minutes and discard the tea bag and the sprig. Let the tea cool.

In a glass, add pineapple slices, ice cubes, and a cup of cold water. Pour in the tea and give it a good stir. Top with some mint leaves if you have.

Tip: If you don’t have fresh pineapple, pineapple juice would do as well. Just use ¼ cup of it, as it’s super sweet.

Wrap Up

Here are your 10 cool drink idea to beat the heat this summer! All these drinks are completely vegan and use the best of what summer has to offer. Try one today!