It’s that time of the year again. Sun, sand, sea… and sweat. That’s right, the mercury can rise tremendously during summers in Chennai and even your PG in OMR doesn’t provide much respite. There’s a limit to how many times you can shower and how much water you can drink. So, how do you manage to beat the heat from the comfort of your home? Well, we’ve got the answer for you. Try these summer drink recipes and give yourself something refreshing to sip and chill with.
If you don’t want a tonne of sugar and calories to get in the way of getting your summer body, don’t worry. All the recipes we’re trying today use natural ingredients and sweeteners so that you can avoid putting processed or artificial ingredients into your system. Healthy and delicious – what’s not to love about these drinks. Check out the recipes yourself!
Homemade iced tea
We’ve all grown up drinking iced tea from those premade mixes, but did you know that making your own can actually be just as easy and far tastier? All you need is the tea of your choice, two tablespoons of a natural sweetener like honey, and water. Herbal or fruit teas can add a special dimension to your iced tea, but a regular black tea will also work just as well. Brew your tea as you would to your desired strength. We recommend brewing it for a minute or two longer than you usually would as the strength will be diluted by ice that you’ll be adding. Stir in the honey and let it cool in the fridge. When your iced tea craving hits, simply pour the cooled sweet tea over ice and enjoy. You’ll never buy the packaged stuff again.
Cucumber mint sparkler
If you’re someone who constantly reaches for sodas and soft drinks to beat the heat, we’re providing you with an easy but healthier alternative. Not only is this a super refreshing drink, it’ll make you feel like you’re at a spa instead of stuck at home. To make this drink, you need half a cucumber, cut into slices, a handful of mint leaves, one lemon, sliced, 2-3 tablespoons of honey, depending on how sweet you like your beverages, and 1 litre of sparkling water. If you’re trying to avoid soda, you can use plain water instead. Mix all the ingredients together and place it in the fridge to chill. And it’s that easy to make yourself this deliciously refreshing sparkler you can sip on all day.
Green juice
If you don’t think summer is an excuse to skip out on your health routine, you may prefer a healthy green juice over a sweet drink. So, this recipe is for those who like to drink their nutrients, but trust us, it’s tasty enough for anyone to try. If you have a juicer, feel free to use it for this recipe, but a blender will do the trick too. You will need a cup of fresh spinach, a green apple (chopped and deseeded), 1 cucumber (chopped into chunks), ½ inch of ginger, peeled, and the juice of half a lemon. Place the spinach, apple, cucumber and ginger into your blender or juicer and blend or push until you have extracted all the juice or have a smooth liquid. You can pass the juice through a sieve if you use a blender. Then stir in the lemon juice and enjoy your green juice. The apple will provide enough sweetness to naturally elevate this juice and it’s nutrient-rich quality makes it a guilt-free way for you to cool down this summer. You can also try making green smoothies.
Watermelon cooler
Probably the easiest recipe on this list, there are only two things you need to make this cooler – watermelon cubes and cold water. Put one cup of the fruit along with half a cup of water into your blender. Make sure there are no seeds, or they can turn your drink a little bitter. You won’t need any sweetener for this recipe, as the watermelon is sweet enough on its own. Blend until the liquid is smooth. For extra smoothness, you could even pour the blended liquid through a sieve to get rid of any pulp. Then pour over ice and beat the heat with your sweet watermelon cooler.
Mango lemonade
The best thing about summer has to be the availability of mangoes. So, if you’re struggling with the heat in your PG in Chennai during your summer break, make yourself a tall glass of mango lemonade to cool down. To make this refreshing drink, you need half a mango (which means you can snack on the other half: score!), two tablespoons of lemon juice, a pinch of cumin powder, two tablespoons of honey, and a cup of water. Simply place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until it’s smooth and pour over ice. If you prefer your drink to be more of a slushy consistency, you can replace the water with some ice cubes (crush them before placing in the blender.) This delicious mango lemonade is one you’ll find yourself whipping out every time you have friends over or want a refreshing drink.
And these are five recipes that you should definitely try this season in Chennai. With these refreshing energy drinks in hand, it’s easier than ever to stay cool in the summer.