Refreshing Drinks You’ll Love This Summer

This summer, embrace these delicious and hydrating drink ideas to serve at your next brunch, lunch, or dinner party.

Lavender Lemonade

(Makes 6 cups)

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 tablespoons dried lavender
• 2 cups lemon juice
• Lavender springs for garnish
• Purple food coloring (optional)
• Ice to serve

Directions

1. Over medium heat, combine two cups of water and sugar then bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved.
2. Turn off of the heat and stir in honey and lavender.
3. Allow mixture to steep for 2 hours.
4. Strain the liquid, pressing the lavender
5. In a pitcher, combine freshly squeezed lemon juice, lavender mixture and water.
6. Add a couple drops of purple food coloring if you want more color than the lavender provides.
7. Serve over ice and garnish with lavender sprigs.

Blood Orange Ginger Soda

(Makes 6 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 18 fresh mint leaves
• 1 peeled ginger
• 6 blood orange rind strips
• 3 cups blood orange juice
• 3 cups club soda
• 6 blood orange wedges
• 6 mint sprigs
• Ice to serve

Directions

1. Over medium heat, combine water, sugar and ginger. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Then, strain and discard solids.
3. In a pitcher combine ginger mixture with orange juice and club soda.
4. Add ice, stir well and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
5. Serve in a glass and garnish with blood orange wedge and mint sprig.

Pomegranate Refresher

(Makes 6 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 medium-sized pomegranates
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 cup club soda
• 6 orange wedges to garnish
• Pomegranate seeds to garnish
• Ice to serve

Directions

1. Over medium heat, combine water, sugar and ginger. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove form heat and let stand.
3. Quarter pomegranates and remove white pulp.
4. Pour contents into a blender, and pulse for about 30 seconds.
5. Combine pomegranate juice, lime with the sugar syrup in shaker and add ice.
6. Shake well, and strain contents through sieve.
7. In a pitcher add club soda.
8. Serve in ice-filled tumblers, and garnish with orange wedge and pomegranate seeds.

Raspberry Yogurt Smoothie

(Makes 6 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups plain Greek plain yogurt
• 3 cups fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons natural honey
• 1 cup ice
• Fresh raspberries to garnish

Directions

In blender mix yogurt, raspberries, honey and ice.

1. Cover and blend until smooth and thick.
2. Service mixture in mason tumblers.

Watermelon Wonder

(Makes 6 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon, to make juice
• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup elderflower cordial
• 12 slices cucumber
• Ice, to serve

Directions

1. To make watermelon juice, cut watermelon into cubes and mash. Then, using a strainer, drain the juice.
2. In a pitcher, mix watermelon juice with elderflower cordial and lime juice.
3. Add cucumber slices and stir well, leaving to sit for 15 minutes.
4. Serve over ice.