Refreshing Summer Beverages

[mamselle]

You could try pulverizing a bit of serpent's tooth, eye of gnat, and tongue of frog,  and see how that distills out...

Maybe over crushed ice?

       <runs around the corner and hides, awaiting the explosion....>

;--}

M.

[memyself]

Something like this mint and ginger lemonade, perhaps?
I've made something similar in the past, sometimes without the lemon, for a change of flavor.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-mint-and-ginger-lemonade-200546

[eigen]

What about homemade rootbeer? You can make it non-carbonated that way, and it's pretty good.

If you don't want to go the distance of boiling sassafras roots, you can get extracts that are pretty good. I'm personally a fan of Zatarains (what I grew up with when I didn't want to murder poor, innocent sassafras trees): https://www.amazon.com/Zatarains-Root-Concentrate-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B00GFHV8Y4/

[Kron3007]

First off, when I opened this post I assumed it was referring to the other kind of refreshing beverage....

Regardless, we recently picked up a soda stream and have been drinking a lot of sparkling water with various flavours and it has been great.  Whoever mentioned bitters for sparkling water, that sounds like a great idea and I will have to try it.  However, if you don't like sparkling water, as crazy as that is, this is not very helpful.

For other options, I basically like anything with crushed ice, even sans alcohol. 

[AvidReader]

[. . .] (cucumbers are several times more expensive than any other cucumbers we've ever bought and often top $2 for a smallish one because they have to be shipped in and tend to sell out quickly, but I do love cucumbers), I'm definitely not special ordering a drink that checks so many of the "nope" boxes.

I don't remember where you live, but could you grow your own cucumbers? I can't, because my apartment is shady and they really like sun, but my memory is that they do well in summer heat and can survive in fairly small pots.

AR.

[polly_mer]

[. . .] (cucumbers are several times more expensive than any other cucumbers we've ever bought and often top $2 for a smallish one because they have to be shipped in and tend to sell out quickly, but I do love cucumbers), I'm definitely not special ordering a drink that checks so many of the "nope" boxes.

I don't remember where you live, but could you grow your own cucumbers? I can't, because my apartment is shady and they really like sun, but my memory is that they do well in summer heat and can survive in fairly small pots.

AR.

Growing cucumbers is not going well.  We have lots of sun.  We don't have lots of water and we have a very short growing season during which we go from too cold for cucumbers to too hot for cucumbers (snow in mid-May to 90 degrees in mid-June is not uncommon).  Even watering every day doesn't keep enough moisture in the outside soil and we keep the inside of the house shady to help beat the heat.

[chemigal]

Polly have you tried the true citrus brand of products?  If not https://www.truelemon.com/ they sell some lightly sweetened packets for water that use stevia as a sweetener with no artificial colors.  I love those but I also love their line of crystallized fruit packets.  They have no sugar, colorings or flavorings and come in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit.  The packets are literally just crystallized fruit and nothing else.  It's an easy way to make fruit infused water without having to cut up actual pieces of fruit and the packets fit nicely in my purse.  They also just released some new flavors like lemon mint and lemon cucumber in the unsweetend line-up.  I haven't tried them yet but plan to do so soon. 

[Anselm]

The typical kombucha sold in stores is 0.5% alcohol and they don't ask for age verification.  Some other kinds are at about 2%.  I don't think it tastes like tea.  It is worth a try.  I've been to two different kombucha bars which seems to be the new thing if you want to be like the cool kids.

[polly_mer]

I've been to two different kombucha bars which seems to be the new thing if you want to be like the cool kids.

It's pretty safe to assume I don't want to be like the cool kids.

I am looking forward to trying

their line of crystallized fruit packets.  They have no sugar, colorings or flavorings and come in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit.  The packets are literally just crystallized fruit and nothing else.  It's an easy way to make fruit infused water without having to cut up actual pieces of fruit and the packets fit nicely in my purse.

[AvidReader]

Growing cucumbers is not going well.  We have lots of sun.  We don't have lots of water and we have a very short growing season during which we go from too cold for cucumbers to too hot for cucumbers (snow in mid-May to 90 degrees in mid-June is not uncommon).  Even watering every day doesn't keep enough moisture in the outside soil and we keep the inside of the house shady to help beat the heat.

Alas. :(

[polly_mer]

I am looking forward to trying

their line of crystallized fruit packets.  They have no sugar, colorings or flavorings and come in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit.  The packets are literally just crystallized fruit and nothing else.  It's an easy way to make fruit infused water without having to cut up actual pieces of fruit and the packets fit nicely in my purse.

The packets have arrived and are delicious.

[mamselle]

Yea!

The fora hive-mind does it again!

;--}

M.

[chemigal]

I am looking forward to trying

their line of crystallized fruit packets.  They have no sugar, colorings or flavorings and come in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit.  The packets are literally just crystallized fruit and nothing else.  It's an easy way to make fruit infused water without having to cut up actual pieces of fruit and the packets fit nicely in my purse.

The packets have arrived and are delicious.

I'm so glad you're enjoying them!

[larryc]

Mojitos.