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During hot summer days, there’s nothing like a cold drink to keep us alert and hydrated.
And whether you’re lying by the pool, bathing at the beach or trying to wind down from a sweat-inducing jog, it helps to sip a drink that is both delicious and refreshing.
Sometimes you might wish for a more exciting version of plain water, while other times you may simply want to drink your fruit instead of eating it. Good news: I’ve got you covered.
Here are six thirst-quenching summer beverage recipes for fruit- and herb-infused water, sangria, coffee and more that will keep you cool and healthy all season long.
That’s right: These drinks are not only tasty. They are also loaded with skin-protective antioxidants like vitamin C and lycopene that may just help boost your SPF, too. Talk about a sweet sip!
The recipes are listed in order of increasing difficulty or time needed.
Lemon blackberry mint-infused water
Kick back with this lemon blackberry mint-infused water. You can sip it all day long.
Infusing blackberries, lemon slices and mint to water adds a fruity, refreshing flavor with very few calories. The lemon and blackberries contain vitamin C, an anti-aging antioxidant that helps protect skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
4 servings (8 ounces each)
2 lemons, sliced
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Fill a large pitcher with 32 ounces water. Add lemon slices, blackberries and a few mint leaves. Refrigerate overnight.
Pour into glasses and using the back of the fork or a muddler, squeeze some of the juice from lemon slices and crush blackberries slightly. You can also lightly chop the mint before adding it to the glass to release more of its flavor, or crush with a muddler in the glass.
Add ice before serving if desired.
Per serving (without eating fruit and mint after): 3.6 calories, 0 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 0.4 g sugars, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 2 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 10 IU vitamin A, 3.9 mg vitamin C, 0 mg vitamin E, 0 mg iron, 0 mg zinc
Per serving (eating fruit and mint after): 29 calories, 1.2 g protein, 7.1 g carbohydrates, 3.4 g fiber, 2.4 g sugars, 0.4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium, 41 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 546 IU vitamin A, 24.5 mg vitamin C, 0.5 mg vitamin E, 1.8 mg iron, 0.3 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Grapefruit rosemary-infused sparkling water
This bubbly water infused with citrusy grapefruit and rosemary flavor will quench your thirst during hot summer days. Grapefruit offers a healthy dose of skin-protective vitamin C, which helps to rid the body of free radicals generated from the sun’s UV rays that contribute to aging skin.
The rosemary in this drink provides an antioxidant boost.
Vitamin C also offers anti-inflammatory benefits to skin, which helps to decrease the development of sunburn and may help decrease the risk of skin cancer. Rosemary is also a source of antioxidants, which act similarly to vitamin C in ridding the body of harmful free radicals.
4 servings (8 ounces each)
32 oz seltzer or sparkling water
2 small grapefruits, sliced
4 sprigs rosemary
Fill a large pitcher with seltzer. Add grapefruit slices and rosemary sprigs. Refrigerate overnight.
Pour into glasses and squeeze some of the juice from the grapefruit slices and crush the rosemary leaves slightly with your fingers to release some of their natural oils.
Add ice before serving if desired.
Per serving (without eating grapefruit after): 6.3 calories, 0 g protein, 1.4 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 1.4 g sugars, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 48 mg sodium, 12.6 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 0 IU vitamin A, 4 mg vitamin C, 0 mg vitamin E, 0 mg iron, 0.2 mg zinc
Per serving (eating grapefruit after): 32 calories, 0.6 g protein, 8.1 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 48 mg sodium, 23 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 927 IU vitamin A, 34, 4 mg vitamin C, 0 mg vitamin E, 0.1 mg iron, 0.3 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Rosé sangria
This sweet fruit-filled sangria combines rosé wine and seltzer with lemons, oranges strawberries and apples. Sipping it will help boost your intake of vitamin C, which in addition to promoting skin health also helps to keep our immune system strong.
Sangria is ideal for summer festivities.
Most rosé (and white) wines are lower in alcohol and contain fewer calories than most red wines, making the blush-colored wine a lighter source of alcohol for a mixed drink.
If you want to create a kid-friendly sangria, simply substitute white grape juice in place of the rosé.
6 servings (about 5 ounces each)
1 750 milliliters bottle rosé wine (or 3 cups white grape juice for nonalcoholic version)
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1 cup seltzer or sparkling water
Fill a large pitcher with rosé and combine with lemon slices, orange slices, strawberry slices and apple slices. Refrigerate overnight.
Add seltzer just before serving.
Per serving (alcoholic version): 142 calories, 1 g protein, 13.9 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fiber, 11 g sugars, 0.2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 31 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 82 IU vitamin A, 31 mg vitamin C, 0.2 mg vitamin E, 0.5 mg iron, 0.3 mg zinc
Per serving (nonalcoholic version): 107 calories, 1.1 g protein, 28.1 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fiber, 24.1 g sugars, 0.2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 17 mg sodium, 28 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 82 IU vitamin A, 67 mg vitamin C, 0.2 mg vitamin E, 0.2 mg iron, 0.1 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Watermelon lime slushie
Summertime is meant for slushies! This cold and refreshing kid-friendly drink doubles as an edible sunscreen. Watermelon is loaded with lycopene, an antioxidant pigment that may play a role in protecting skin against sunburn. A touch of added sweetness comes from agave nectar, though you can use honey instead.
This watermelon lime slushie is the ultimate thirst quencher.
2 servings (about 6 ounces each)
2 cups watermelon, frozen
Juice and zest from 1 large lime, plus 2 lime slices and zest for garnish
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
To freeze watermelon, place seedless watermelon cubes on a baking sheet and place in freezer for a few hours or until firm. Blend together frozen watermelon, lime juice and zest, agave nectar and ½ cup water until smooth, adding more water if needed.
Top with lime slices and additional lime zest. Serve immediately (it will melt).
Per serving: 82 calories, 1 g protein, 21.6 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g fiber, 17.9 g sugars, 0.3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 mg sodium, 15 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 877 IU vitamin A, 20.4 mg vitamin C, 0.1 mg vitamin E, 0.4 mg iron, 0.2 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Iced mocha
In summertime, enjoy a lighter iced mocha that combines antioxidant-rich cocoa, along with almond milk and a bit of maple syrup for sweetness.
There is nothing quite like an iced mocha at the height of summer.
By making your own iced mocha, you can control the amount of sugar and calories it contains. And here’s another plus: Coffee has been associated with a reduced risk of melanoma according to recent research.
In this recipe, you can create a “chocolate syrup” to drizzle around the glass that slowly swirls into the coffee as you drink it. For more indulgence, top the mocha with a dollop of whipped cream and some mini chocolate chips.
2 servings (about 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or low-fat milk)
2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
2 tablespoons whipped cream
2 teaspoons mini semisweet chocolate chips
To make the chocolate syrup, stir 1 tablespoon cocoa powder into hot coffee and let cool. Add almond milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon maple syrup and stir until combined.
Drizzle this chocolate syrup around the inside of the glasses. Fill glasses with ice and then pour in the coffee mixture. Top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
Per serving: 108 calories, 2.1 g protein, 19.9 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fiber, 14.4 g sugars, 3.8 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 92 mg sodium, 274 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 0 IU vitamin A, 0 mg vitamin C, 3.5 mg vitamin E, 2.7 mg iron, 0.5 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Strawberry basil limeade
In this creative spin on classic lemonade, limes replace lemons and combine with strawberries, agave nectar and basil for a sweet and tangy pink-colored limeade.
Strawberries and limes deliver vitamin C, the important antioxidant vitamin that has many skin benefits and plays an important role in immune function. Basil adds green interest to the drink and boosts the beverage’s antiaging antioxidants.
8 servings (about 4 ounces each)
3⁄4 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped, plus more for garnish
1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
1⁄2 cup agave nectar or honey
1⁄2 cup fresh lime juice, plus 2 lime slices for garnish
In a small pot, combine strawberries, basil, agave and 1⁄2 cup water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, crushing up the strawberries, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool and then strain into a pitcher. Add 3 cups water, lime juice and ice.
Add strawberry slices, lime slices and fresh basil to the limeade as garnish.
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Per serving: 68 calories, 0.2 g protein,18.4 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g fiber, 16.9 g sugars, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 7 mg calcium, 0 g omega-3 fats, 79 IU vitamin A, 12.7 mg vitamin C, 0 mg vitamin E, 0.1 mg iron, 0 mg zinc
Source: lisadrayer.com
Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, an author and a CNN health and nutrition contributor.
