To Make at Home

I recently posted fun cocktails and mocktails I enjoy making in the summer (see it here), but there are also so many non-alcoholic drinks that are refreshing. When you make them at home, you can put a little spin on the flavors, while also making them healthier. Instead of buying mixes and pre-made bottles from the store, you can skip the added sugar and make these popular summer drinks easily at home.

I love to make dishes and drinks from scratch in the summer (see my post on home-made versus buying). There are so many great recipes with wonderful ingredients from the Farmers Market. (See my post!)

These summer drinks fit right in with our healthy summer menus.

“Sun Tea”

My husband really enjoys unsweetened iced tea with artificial sweetener and lemon. Like he gets it ALL the time. So I thought I’d give it a try.

I got a great pitcher to make a cold brew iced coffee a couple years ago. It comes with a filter for the coffee grounds- you just leave them in there for a few days, then remove the filter for some incredibly good cold brew.

I realized this could easily be replaced with loose tea leaves for some cold brewed iced tea. I tend to work more with tea bags, so for the same result I just put about 6-8 bags into a full pitcher and left it on the window sill for a few days. The heat of the sun literally worked to brew it, hence “sun tea.”

Experiment with the number of tea bags, so you get just the right strength for your tea.

Lemonade

There are tons of great recipes for a yummy home-made option of your classic summer drink. Honestly, with just sugar, lemon and water you can’t get much easier. Replace your sugar with artificial sweetener, and you’ve got a perfect low-cal version. Like iced tea, there are many ways to customize it. Add some mint, berries, or citrus fruit slices. (I love lime.) I find this recipe to have the perfect ratio of sweet and tart.

Home-Made Lemonade Recipe (10 servings)

Ingredients:

• For Simple Syrup:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• Ice and lemon slices

Directions:

• Bring water to a boil, and stir in sugar until it’s dissolved
• Turn off heat and let sit until cooled
• In a large pitcher, stir lemon juice, cooled simple syrup and 8 cups cold water
• Serve over ice with lemon slices

Ginger Beer

When we went to Seattle in 2022. I was so interested in trying Rachel’s Ginger Beer down at Pike Place Market (see an upcoming post on a travel guide for Seattle for Mature Travelers).

I liked Ginger Beer before, but holy moly. Pineapple Cayenne was incredible. I ended up ordering it a few times after our trip, but it was horribly expensive, so I thought “Hmmm. I wonder if there are any recipes out there?”

I’ve tried a few, and this one is definitely the easiest and renders a great tasting Ginger Beer in just a few days. This does have sugar but less than store-bought. And the taste is so fresh.

Ginger Beer Recipe

Ingredients:

• For Ginger Syrup:
• 2 tbsp (about a half inch) of grated ginger root
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 tsp yeast
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 7 cups filtered water

Directions:

• Add sugar and 1/2 c water to a pot
• Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved
• Turn off the heat and let sit for an hour

To a clean 2 liter bottle (using a funnel), add:

• Yeast
• Lemon juice
• Cooled ginger syrup
• Filtered water

Shake it gently to mix, then store somewhere that’s relatively cool and shady. Every day, open the bottle to release CO2. On like the second or third day you’ll start to hear the fabulous fizz you’re expecting. Give it a taste, and when it’s fizzy enough for you (maybe day three or four), pop it into the fridge, where it will continue fermenting but at a slower rate. It keeps for about two weeks.

Definitely try adding flavors to this recipe. I plan on trying the pineapple cayenne soon. I’m going to add some pineapple juice and a few pieces of cut cayenne. Fingers crossed!

Fruit Smoothie

If you’re looking for a sweet and juicy drink, I recommend fruit smoothies in the summer. Smoothies are awesome, because it’s so easy to switch up the flavors by adding a different fruit for whatever suits your mood. They can also be enhanced with things like protein powder, oatmeal or flax seeds to give you a heartier breakfast. (See my post on breakfasts on WW.)

This is a classic watermelon smoothie. Replace the frozen watermelon with peaches, cherries, or pineapple for delicious variations. And add frozen fruit to a mojito or margarita!

Watermelon Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups of one-inch cubed frozen watermelon
• 1 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup packed fresh mint or basil (optional)

Directions

Blend all ingredients together in a high powered blender. Add small increments of water or almond milk if too thick.

Iced Latte

I love Starbucks as much as the next coffee lover, but the calories in those yummy lattes can add up even when you’re getting a ‘skinny’ option. Your money can add up too! Just this grande shaken espresso was more than $6!

We love to make our lattes at home where I have a huge selection of sugar-free syrups (even popular chains like Dunkin and Starbucks usually only have sugar-free vanilla or caramel. Ugh).

Add a few pumps of sugar-free syrup, chocolate or caramel sauce, honey, sugar- or whatever sweetener you like, to a cup filled with ice. We keep these great little take-out cups next to the coffee maker for the perfect grab and go drink. My daughter always makes one to take to her waitressing job!

Fill the cup about 3/4 up with a milk of your choice- I usually go for almond milk, my daughter likes oat.

Add a shot (or two or three) of espresso.

The order of everything is not all that important. Stirring it all together to make your latte but pouring the espresso in last, will actually technically create a macchiato. I love these because they have a wonderful layered look- so if you do too, be sure to serve them in a clear cup.

We top our lattes (or macchiatos) with some cold foam. You can buy cans of it these days wherever you find whipped cream. Or make your own cold foam with a mixer, or if you’re lucky like us, your Nespresso machine has a frother built in!

I hope you enjoy some refreshing summer drinks with family and friends! Give them some of these recipes a try, and let me know what you think!