Summer Drink Recipes

Last summer — I believe it was — we searched on this site for the perfect guacamole and salsa recipes. How about, with all the recent summer heat, we go for favorite summer drink recipes. Something that will really cool you off. Who has the perfect lemonade recipe . . . .

36 Responses to “Summer Drink Recipes”


  1. 1 Joshyboy

    Forget the lemonade, go down to Sonic and as for a Dr. Pepper Shake. Don’t get thrown off by the visual image…it’s the perfect drink during hot weather. This coming from a youth minister who lives in the North Valley of Phoenix, AZ. Trust me…Dr. Pepper Shake!

  2. 2 Travis

    Beer.

  3. 3 SG

    Crystal lite always works for me! But if you want something with a little fizz try the recipe below that came to me from Southern Living by way of Elizabeth Barnhill…

    Sunny Lemonade
    6 cups white grape juice chilled
    12 oz lemonade concentrate undiluted
    5 1/2 cups chilled club soda
    Mix before serving and let concentrate dissolve. Garnish with frozen lemon slices and drink up!

  4. 4 Kyle

    In college I hardly had money to go out to eat, so when I did I would order water to drink. But, I was never one to settle for “just water.” Politely ask the waiter for a bowl of lemons, as many as they will give you. Squeeze them all into your water, then empty about 10 packets of sugar into your water. Stir, and you’ve got some mighty tasty lemonade, or what my friends always called “ghetto-ade.”

  5. 5 Lynn

    Oh, something I know!

    The best lemonade recipe…

    Lemon Shake Up

    2 cups sugar
    1 cup water
    1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

    Combine sugar and water.
    Boil for 5 minutes.
    Cool to room temperature, then add lemon juice.
    Strain and keep refrigerated.

    To make: Add approximately 2 tablespoons of syrup to each glass of ice water.
    Cover glass and shake to blend.

    Enjoy!
    Lynn Trigg

  6. 6 Kathy

    A&W Root Beer Float in a frosty mug!

  7. 7 Stonebridge

    I suppose Sangria with lots of lemons slices doesn’t make the cut for lemonade?

  8. 8 Jim Dolan

    Wow Travis. You are so cool.

  9. 9 Buster

    The answer is simple . . . Mary’s on Treadaway!

  10. 10 Jenni

    I’ve got a pretty good one….

    1 1/2 c sugar
    1/2 c boiling water
    1 1/2 c lemon juice (~8 lemons)
    ~5 c cold water
    lemon slices for garnish

    Pour boiling water into sugar and stir until all sugar is dissolved (i.e. make a simple sugar syrup)

    Add lemon juice and cold water. Stir well.

    Makes about 2 quarts.

    Note: it is pretty strong, so you can dilute with more cold water.

  11. 11 Jared Cramer

    Go to Johnny Carino’s and get a Bellini. It’s frozen peach nectar mixed with white wine, champagne and rum, swirled with their homemade sangria and topped with a chianti soaked peach slice. Oh, it is too good. :-)

  12. 12 Sarah

    Speaking of Sonic…

    I’m really into the Orange Cream Slush from Sonic. It tastes JUST LIKE the orange “push-ups” that I used to eat as a kid.

  13. 13 Mae

    No need to have a recipe… just to live in (or near) TN for ~ SUNDROP!!!

    Thanks for the reminder… now I’m all hungry for guac and salsa, dang it. Do you KNOW how messy my kitchen gets when I go in there???

  14. 14 Jana

    One can of frozen lemonade (or raspberry lemonade) concentrate
    MIXED WITH
    One liter of ginger ale

    Delish.

  15. 15 clark

    Some friends and I made this drink in college called Stetson.

    1/2 strawberry soda (any cheap stuff will do)
    1/2 mountain dew

    It sure don’t smell like the colonge, but dang its good.

  16. 16 eek

    Simple and Refreshing:

    1 lime-quartered and squeezed into a lg glass of crushed-ice water. Makes your teeth squeeky, and puts a smile on your face. Best when followed up by a Twix Ice Cream bar.

  17. 17 Amy Boone

    I made a fun drink for the 4th of July. Fix a package of Tropical Punch Kool-Aid, add 2 cups of OJ and a liter of seltzer. Then add ice cubes made from Blue Kool-Aid. It looks cute with the red punch with blue ice cubes floating in it! Tasted good, too!

  18. 18 Kathy

    In keeping with last year’s theme, how about a bit of South of the Border to cool off and be nutritious at the same time?

    AGUA FRESCA (Literal translation _ Fresh Water - the ‘fresh’ refers to fresh fruit)

    In a blender, combine your favorite fresh fruit, such as watermelon, cantalopue, mango, lime, lemon, or strawberries, with cold water, sweetner to taste, - blend throughly. Serve in tall glasses with or without added ice.

    Truly delicious and refreshing.

    btw-a note to “Kathy” - what would you suggest we do to differentiate between our posts? Shall we add last name initials or simply numbers, K1 and K2?? Any ideas? :o)

  19. 19 Deana Nall

    My ideal drink (?) is a big ol’ cup of ice from Sonic. Sonic ice is the only thing I craved with both pregnancies and last summer I was going through the drive-thru every day — sometimes more than once a day — getting my ice. One day we were pulling up to the window and I said to my 5-year-old, “I’m glad they don’t think I’m crazy for coming here so much just for ice.” She replied, “Maybe they do and they just don’t want to tell you.”

  20. 20 David

    1 IBC Root Beer

    1 Frosted Mug

    Tilt the mug

    Pour the IBC Root Beer in the mug allowing the foam to spill over the mug

    Lick the foam off the mug

    Drink slowly, without gulping

  21. 21 Rob Cunningham

    I,m like Buster……Mary’s Palateria on Treadaway is the answer. Go in ask for a large 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 watermelon agua fresca. Oh baby……….

  22. 22 Kathy

    Hey Kathy, I’ll change mine to KathyGS (I’m a lifetime Girl Scout).

  23. 23 Matthew

    I’m going to have to go with Kathy’s agua fresca vote. That’s the best stuff ever.

  24. 24 Brandon Moore

    There has to be some way to combine the amazing flavors of Limeade and guacamole and for somekind of guacamade. Mmmmm….guacamade… That even sounds delicious.

  25. 25 6crocketts

    Nobody has mentioned good ol’ southern ice tea! Few drinks are better than that. The Green Hills Grill in Nashville also serves wonderful fruit tea. Truly delish!

  26. 26 Nancy Kirk

    I am with Buster and Rob. Mary’s is the best. And, Deana, you can buy the Sonic ice in a large bag to put in your freezer. That’s what I do.

  27. 27 don

    Brandon, that’s gross! I like quacamole, but that’s gross.

  28. 28 spot

    n a hot Texas summer day I can’t imagine anything better than Rocky Mountain spring water stright from the stream.

  29. 29 spot

    On a hot Texas summer day I can’t imagine anything better than Rocky Mountain spring water straight from the stream.

  30. 30 Deana Nall

    Yeah, Nancy, but not long after I gave birth, I was eating ice at Sonic when I thought, “You know, all this is is frozen water.” I realized I was so over Sonic ice.

  31. 31 kentbrantly

    Mike, what you need to do is go to La Fuente a block and a half off the northeast corner of parque central in Antigua and get a pineapple licuado, or the one with “al atardecer” in the name. And there is no place with better guacamole than Guatemala.

  32. 32 Debbie

    Sorry, it’s not “lemonade”, but it’s very refreshing and similar to Green Hills variety. It’s called “Tennessee Fruit Tea” and it is made with lemonade!

    2 cups cold water
    6 small tea bags
    1 cup sugar
    2 quarts warm water
    1- 6 ou. frozen lemonade concentrate
    1- 6 ou. orange juice concentrate
    1- 6 ou. pineapple concentrate

    Bring cold water to boil and then add tea bags and let steep for 5-6 minutes. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour in warm water and the three concentrates. Mix well. Refrigerate until cool. Enjoy!

  33. 33 Kathy

    Hey, Girl Scout Kathy - you are an ever living sweetheart! :o) Living up to your GS code, are you now. Thanks and blessings. KathyC.O.G. [Child of God - praise Him!!] :o)

  34. 34 Val

    No new recipies. I will try some of those offered, however. What I want to know, though, is how some drinks ever came into favor. For instance, what’s up with the milk and Pepsi that Laverne used to drink? Or why did my grandma love to drink buttermilk? Or what is it about pickle juice snow cones?

  35. 35 Steve Duer

    Those who had the blessing of attending Auburn University know that Toomer’s Corner Lemonade is the best. They squeeze the lemons and mix in the sugar water. It’s not just refreshing, it is an art form! Oh and they sell it by the gallon on the web for $18 dollars a gallon. I don’t miss it that much but is says something about supply and demand!

  36. 36 DrinkMan

    Wow Travis. You are so cool.

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