The following blog providing a number of delicious Summer Drinks for Families comes to us through Hermann Samano of Porch Group. These recipes are the perfect accompaniment to our many tropical dishes provided on Eat Polynesia! 

As the weather warms up and summer continues, staying cool and hydrated is more important than ever. Making summer drinks is a fun way to try out new recipes, explore new flavors, and have fun together as a family. Staying properly hydrated can help keep your body temperature regulated, support a healthy immune system, and may even ensure you sleep better at night so you feel better throughout the day. While water is excellent for hydration, adding fresh fruit and other ingredients for summer drinks makes it fun. Making drinks for kids it’s a fun and easy way to try something new while staying nicely hydrated too. You’ll also save a lot of money when you make your own homemade drinks. From mocktail recipes to slushies, check out these amazing recipes for summer drinks to make at home that the entire family will enjoy.

Easy summer mocktails recipes to make at home

If you want to make mocktails, there are plenty of delicious beverages you can make at home this summer to share with family and friends. A cold mocktail can be a delicious and fun hydrating drink for adults to enjoy. Here are some summer mocktail recipes to try that you can enjoy all by yourself or share with your favorite guests.

Healthy Green Hydration Drink

Try this delicious green, cold summer mocktail recipe that’s perfect for brunch. This drink doesn’t contain any alcohol, so it’s an ideal substitute for a classic mimosa. You’ll need:

• 10 fresh spinach leaves
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• Diced green apple, approximately one-half
• 2 slices of fresh ginger
• 2/3 cup apple juice (fresh or store-bought)
• 3-5 ice cubes

Simply toss all of your ingredients into a blender and blend everything until it’s smooth. Serve these fun drinks in a glass and enjoy!

Peach and Honey Cooler

Here’s another incredible non-alcoholic summer drink that’s healthy, hydrating, and delicious. Refreshing peach blends with a homemade honey-lime syrup for a delicately sweet beverage without additives, alcohol, or artificial flavors. You will need:

• 2-3 fresh basil leaves
• 4 oz. sparkling water or seltzer water
• 1 sliced fresh peach
• 1 ½-oz. honey-lime syrup (1/3 cup fresh honey and 1/3 cup fresh lime juice)

Combine the honey, ½ cup warm water, and lime juice in a small saucepan on low heat. Mix the ingredients, making sure that the water doesn’t boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Muddle the basil in a tall glass or a cocktail shaker, then add the sparkling water. Add 1 ½ ounce of the honey-lime syrup and a few peach slices, then shake everything together to combine. Pour the drink over ice, and garnish it with a fresh piece of lime and a peach slice.

Fruity Watermelon and Blueberry Mocktail

This recipe is such a light and refreshing choice, thanks to the addition of fresh watermelon and juicy blueberries. These are fun drinks to make. You will need to gather:

• 4 cups cold water
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 pound or 8 cups of diced, seedless watermelon
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ¾ cups fresh blueberries
• ¾ cup of fresh mint leaves (save approximately 8 mint sprigs for the garnish)
• Ice

Simmer the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir together over medium heat until all of the sugar is completely dissolved (about one minute). Let the sugar syrup cool. Puree the watermelon in a blender until smooth, then strain the juice over a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer – you can discard the pulp. Combine the sugar syrup with lime juice, mint leaves, and fresh blueberries. Lightly muddle the blueberries and mint with a wooden spoon, then add the watermelon juice to a large pitcher. Refrigerate everything for about two hours until chilled, then serve and enjoy over ice with the mint sprigs as a garnish.

Easy slush recipes to make at home for kids

Adults aren’t the only ones who can enjoy fun drinks this summer. Try out these easy drinks to make for kids, including fantastic slush recipes, healthy drinks, and more. The kids will love participating as they explore and learn how to make their very own slushies.

Watermelon Cooler

This is sure to become one of your children’s favorite slush recipes. If they’re not a fan of watermelon, you can easily replace it with another type of fruit. It’s one of many great hydration drinks since watermelon can replenish lost electrolytes to keep you hydrated. All you will need is:

• 2 cups seedless watermelon, chopped
• 1 or more cups of ice
• ¼ cup sparkling water

Simply toss your ingredients into the blender on high until everything reaches that perfect summer slush consistency, and then serve it with a colorful straw. Add another small chunk of watermelon as a fun garnish if you choose.

Delicious and Fun Whole Fruit Slushies

This recipe is a great way to get the kids involved since they can pick out their favorite fruits. It’s easy to make, delicious, and is chock-full of healthy and hydrating ingredients that feature nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Have some fun mixing different fruits, and let your kids choose their favorite combinations. Some of the best fruits to try include:

• Berries: blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries
• Melon: watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe
• Bananas
• Pineapple or mango
• Cherries
• Peaches

Add your desired amount of fruit to a blender with some ice cubes, then blend everything on high until it reaches that perfect slush consistency. You can also add a tiny bit of honey to make it sweeter, but it’s important to note that many fruits are already naturally sweet, so you may not need the honey. If you don’t have fresh fruit on hand, various frozen fruits will do just fine, too.

Pineapple Coconut Slush for Kids

Kids and adults alike will love this summer slushie. Packed with healthy ingredients, it’s a fun drink that the kids can make together at home. This non-alcoholic summer drink is also a perfect dessert for summertime dinner parties and backyard barbecues. To make the drink, you will need the following ingredients to get started:

• 2½ cups frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup cold coconut water
• ½ lime, juice
• 1-2 tbsp honey (or sweetener of your choice)

Place the ingredients in a blender and mix at high speed until smooth. If necessary, add more coconut water to thin out the slushy, more pineapple (or ice) to thicken, or more honey (if using) to sweeten the mixture. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Whether you’re making fabulous mocktails or slushies for the kids, try making these healthy and hydrating summer drinks at home. These recipes are a great starting point, but feel free to mix and match some more varieties of your favorite fruits or try experimenting with a few different ingredients. A cold drink with fresh ingredients isn’t just healthy and hydrating – it’s also a great way to enjoy a delicious beverage all summer long.

Originally posted at https://porch.com/advice/summer-drinks-at-home.