by Meeta Khurana from What’s For Lunch, Honey?

Summer’s here! Finally! On my part, I have been waiting for it for what seems like forever and while I admit it’s not what I would call the perfect summer yet, I am all in the mood for delicious summer drinks.

Whether you are lounging around the pool, chilling with friends at a barbecue or relaxing at home in a hammock shale up your drinking options with an exciting twist. Step away from the usual lemonade or iced tea, instead enjoy an ounce of chilled prosecco, a splash of grenadine or a twist of lime juice with your refreshing summer drinks.

To make it easier to find your delicious summer elixir I decided to search the blogs for the perfect drink. The summer months is just the perfect time to experiment with and sample liquors, exotic fruits and new flavors. So do not be scared of ingredients you have never heard of before go ahead and try it you might just find a new concoction you will love. It’s not just cocktails; drinks like wine, spritzers, milkshakes, smoothies and fruit juices can also quench your thirst on a sweltering summer day.

To help you get started here are some great ideas for lip smacking refreshing drinks!

I straight away fell in love with this rhubarb rosemary daiquiri created by Aimée, who splashes rhubarb syrup over crushed ice and rum and adds a hint of rosemary to make a summer hit drink of 2009. Soma over at e-curry makes a pomegranate cooler served both with and without alcohol, which makes it an irresistible drink any time of the day! I love the decadence Carol’s Pomosa offers, a trickling of pomegranate juice and a splash of champagne makes this a delicious way to spend sultry summer evenings on the porch - why share this . Des’ fruity sparkling strawberry lemonade uses tart lemons, sweet strawberries and sparkling water to make a refreshingly different lemonade.

It’s tea time and this spiked peach tea offers an innovative take on the classic. Spiked with peach vodka it definitely gives tea time a whole new meaning! One Particular Kitchen makes a different type of tea based drink called Lilly tea, combining sweet tea, orange juice and a splash of lemon juice this promises to be a big hit at family barbecues.

Milkshakes, smoothies and fruit milks can be enjoyed in creative varieties at this time of year. Fruit and berries are available in surplus amounts and provide healthy option to start your day. Au Naturel’s peach papaya and mint smoothie caught my eye as it offers a great combination of summer, exotic and minty freshness. My own passion fruit and orange kefir shake will leave you tingling and feeling rejuvenated almost like you did a mega workout! Catch the seasons last mangoes and enjoy this thick creamy mango coconut smoothie by Veggie Wedgie. With fresh Thai mangoes and coconut milk this smoothie is perfect for an afternoon in the hammock! A really groovy way to get things going in the morning is this lusciously thick and creamy mango banana smoothie, made with honey-flavored yogurt! Noobcook makes a super easy blueberry milkshake with thick vanilla ice-cream and serves it with marshmallows and fresh blueberries. Kathy offers a vegan thrist quencher using hemp milk in her Fresh Peach Hemp Milk Protein Smoothie, which looks so bright that it’s surely a great sunny way to start the day!

Spontaneous summer parties and hanging out with friends go hand in hand when summertime is here. It’s always great to have refreshing party drinks around to satisfy a thirsty crowd! Melissa has a great recipe for pomegranate sangria will definitely be a crowd pleaser. The caipirinha is probably the most intoxicating export from Brazil (after Christiano Ronaldo that is) and bloomacious offers glasses of The Evergreen Caipirinha - an exciting twist on the classic! Talking of intoxicating, this recipe for Grand Dukes Nectar is going to be the next party hit for sure. My favorite however has got to be Andrea’s rhubarb margarita - perfect for an evening with the girls!

If you want more cocktails, milkshakes, smoothies or coolers, you’ll find a flavor for each liking over at the FoodieView Search Engine.     

Meeta is a passionate food writer, cook and photographer. She experiments in her kitchen and presents her flavor combinations in exciting new dishes. Her blog What’s For Lunch, Honey? was selected as one of the Top 50 Best Food Blogs by Times Online UK and offers over 500 recipes all peppered with a good dose of life.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 10:06 am and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.