20+ Summer Drink Recipes {AND Smoothies}

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Beat the summer heat with any of these delicious summer drink recipes! Serve these flavored drinks at BBQ’s and parties, or cool off with a refreshing fruit smoothie.

More Collections: Summer Salad Recipes, Summer Dessert Recipes, Favorite Summer Recipes

Beat the Heat

I’ve never been the kind of person to make a trip to a soda shop every day to pick up a drink, but as soon as the weather starts warming up here in Arizona, I immediately start craving refreshing drinks.

Sometimes I just want something cold and fruity to cool me off in the summer heat, and other times I get a hankering for a smoothie in place of a meal.

Today, I have a collection of all of the best summer drink recipes, which include both flavored drinks—great for serving at parties and backyard barbecues—as well as some smoothies that are light and refreshing.

A glass of peach mango smoothie with a red and white straw.

Serving Summer Drinks

Before I get into the summer drink info, I wanted to share this link to a Lemonade Stand Lo made for me years ago. Not only can your kids have fun serving lemonade, but any cold drink will be sold out on a hot summer day.

Another post I wanted to share is for a Beverage Station that Lo made for me. It’s an easy fun place to put bottled water, juice boxes and soda cans when hosting a BBQ, picnic or party.

You’ll notice that the top buckets are holding napkins and other paper goods, but you could easily put paper umbrellas in one, lemon wedges in another and cups in the third. Place a small table with a beverage dispenser filled with a refreshing homemade drink next to the “beverage station”.

Fresh lemonade in a glass, garnished with lemon slices and mint.

Additional Serving Ideas

There are so many ways you can serve your drinks. Here are few fun ways you can spruce up the juice:

Decoration: Create alcohol-free summer cocktail recipes, and have fun straws and paper umbrellas .
Cups: Use cool drink cups like mason jars, or garnish the glasses with a rim of sugar. You’ll need a bowl of lemon or lime juice and a bowl of sugar. Dip the rim of the glass in the juice, then into the sugar. Let dry.
Carbonation: though it can take several hours for carbonation to completely fizzle out, it’s best not to mix up carbonated drinks too soon.
Cream: Add a scoop of ice cream.
Citrus: Add a spritz of lemon juice or fresh lime juice with the wedge on the rim of the cup.
Herbs: Garnish with some herbs like fresh basil or mint.
Fruit: Use fresh cut fruit, berries, or even sliced cucumber in the beverage dispenser.

Fruits perfect to add to summertime drinks

Like we mentioned above, fruit can be added to the beverage dispenser for looks and a bit of added flavor, or you can use it to garnish the individual cups. Here are some ideas:

Wedge of coconut or pineapple
Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
Maraschino cherries
Sliced oranges, lemon, lime, grapefruit
Melon wedges or balls

Watermelon juice in a glass jar with two striped straws.

Make your own homemade popsicles

Freeze leftover juice into popsicles or make slushies. To make a slushie you’ll need the leftover drink, 2 large plastic ziploc bags, ice and rock salt.

Pour the drink into one bag and add the ice and salt into the second bag.
Insert the drink bag into the ice bag.
Shake the bags for several minutes until the drink become slush
You may need to wear oven mitts or gloves as the ice bag gets pretty cold.

A green smoothie in a glass with a red straw.

How to transport drinks and keep them cool

When transporting, avoid filling punch bowls and pitchers with the beverage. Many of them don’t have secure lids and you don’t want it spilling out in your car or cooler.

Save empty water jugs to fill with punch or fill large insulated beverage coolers with the punch. Once you’re ready to serve the punch, pour it into serving pitchers and bowls.

To keep them cool outside, here are some suggestions:

Make extra juice and freeze it into ice cubes or ice blocks. That way you can have a cold drink without worrying that the melting ice will dilute the punch.
Chill extra punch in the fridge or in a cooler. Fill the beverage dispenser as needed.
Instead of adding ice cubes, use frozen fruit.

our go-to Summer Drink recipes

These summer drinks are all favorites! Fortunately, they’re all simple too. We hope you love them!

Ocean Water

Copycat Sonic Ocean Water – so easy to make and so refreshing! It’s perfect for parties or a hot summer day and is made with water, sugar, coconut extract, Sprite and food coloring.

1 Ocean Water Recipe

Drinks Ocean Water Recipe

Total Time: 5

4.93 from 42 votes

Summer Drink Recipes

Beat the Heat

Serving Summer Drinks

Additional Serving Ideas

Fruits perfect to add to summertime drinks

Make your own homemade popsicles

How to transport drinks and keep them cool

our go-to Summer Drink recipes

Ocean Water

Orange Julius

Pineapple Pink Lemonade Soda

Watermelon Juice

Homemade Lemonade

Mint Julep

Copycat Sonic Cherry Limeade

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Best Strawberry Lemonade

The Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Patriotic Drink

Horchata

Shirley Temple

refreshing summer smoothies

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Pineapple Banana Smoothie

Aloha Tropical Smoothie

Peach Smoothie

Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Peach Mango Smoothie

Fruit Smoothie

Watermelon Smoothie

Kale Smoothie

Orange Juice Smoothie

Best Green Smoothie

Enjoy these Refreshing Summer Drinks!

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