Soda, What? 5 Healthy, Homemade, Refreshing Drinks

           
 

iced tea

Lounging poolside this summer and paging through your latest read, you'll need something to keep you refreshed. While there's nothing better for you than good-old H2O, sometimes a bit of flavor is just... awesome. Instead of reaching for a soda or another mass-produced drink, however, try one of these soda substitutes, easy to make at home and perfect to keep around in the fridge for when you're parched.

Cucumber Water

To add just a bit of flavor to natural water, cucumber is absolutely perfect. Cucumber adds a healthy boost to regular water, and the flavor addition makes getting your eight glasses a day more interesting.

    Classic cucumber water is simple perfection thanks to Martha Stewart

    For a play on the classic, try our very own Cool Cucumber Drinks, like Cucumber-Rosemary Lemonade, Cucumber-Watermelon Cooler and Sparkling Cucumber Water

    Try our Fizzy Cucumber Lemonade for something a little sweet!

Watermelon Granita

Watermelon is plentiful in summertime, and this water-heavy fruit makes a great virgin cocktail.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup water

6 cups cubed watermelon

Method

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Purée the watermelon in a blender until smooth, then strain the juice. Stir into the sugar mixture and pour into a glass baking dish. Cool to room temperature, then freeze. Stir with a fork every 30 minutes for about two hours, until a grainy, icy texture is achieved. Serve with a straw!

Honey and Fresh Mint Iced Green Tea

Honey and fresh mint iced green tea into a sweet, refreshing treat. First, brew a large pot of your favorite organic green tea. When the tea is at your desired strength, remove the tea and add fresh mint leaves, about ten for every quart of tea. Steep ten minutes, then strain and swirl in 1/8 cup honey. Cool in the fridge, and serve with fresh mint leaves as a garnish.

    Consider freezing some of the tea in ice cube trays to use to keep your drink cool without diluting it!

    You could also try this recipe with herbal tea from the garden, or with other herbs, like rosemary, lavender or thyme instead of mint.

Iced Virgin Arnold Palmer

An Arnold Palmer is the perfect combination of iced tea and lemonade, for a sweet kick to a caffeine punch. Try our very own Arnold Palmer recipe, and be sure to play with the proportions until they suit your personal tastes.

    Consider a peachy play on iced tea combos, with our homemade peach iced tea.

    Try making sun tea for the iced tea portion of your beverage.

Peach Nectar

Peach nectar is the best way to enjoy the pure flavor of summer peaches in a glass. Feel free to thin this out with water or iced tea for something a bit less thick and more refreshing.

Written by Emily Monaco