Hi guys! 😊

Today I prepared my 5 favorite summer drinks. I usually drink just plain old water, but in the summer it's fun to spice things up a little bit, especially if you have guests over for a barbecue or if you go to a picnic. All these recipes are super simple, and you can mix them up using different spice, fruit or tea flavor and customize them. 😉

So let's just start with the drinks! 😋

1. Strawberry mint lemonade

Squeeze 1 lemon. Squish 200 g of strawberries with a fork and combine them with sugar (I use about a tablespoon).  Using a fine strainer, separate the juice from big chunks (this step is optional, you can also use the chunks if you like them). Now combine the lemon and strawberry juice, put in some mint leaves and strawberries for decoration. You can also use raspberries or some other fruit you prefer.

2. Peach lavender ice tea

Prepare some peach tea. While it's still boiling, put in a few lavender buds and then let it cool. When it's room temperature, you can put it in the fridge. Finally, strain the ice tea and serve it with a lavender flower. Again, you can change the tea flavor, but for me, this combination is just the best. 😉

3. Plum thyme granita

Chop up some plums and put them in a blender. Add twice as much ice and turn the blender on ice crushing mode (I use Kitchen Aid Artisan blender). When all the ice is crushed, add some thyme syrup (You can DIY it – just cook thyme sprigs in a cup of water with 0,5 cup of sugar, bring to a boil, stir and let it cool. Before use, strain the syrup to remove thyme sprigs). Turn the blender on mode mix for a few seconds and when it's all well combined, garnish the beverage with thyme sprigs and some plum.

4. Non-alcoholic hugo

I guess you all know what hugo is. It definitely is my favorite summer cocktail and because I love it so much, I made up a non-alcoholic version, so I can drink it all the time. 😜 It's also very simple to prepare. Just mix some elderflower syrup with sparkling water (I use plain water instead of sparkling) in ratio 1:5. Squeeze in some lime juice and garnish it with mint and a slice of lime.

5. Orange cherry ice tea

Start by making some cherry tea. In the meantime, squeeze some oranges. Pour the juice in ice cubes molds and put them in the freezer. When the tea is prepared, let it cool (after it reaches room temperature, you can put it in the fridge for a while). When the orange ice cubes are ready, you can serve the tea with a few orange ice cubes and add an orange slice.

Those are my favorite combos, but I would love to hear your variations. Which one is your favorite summer drink? Tell me in the comments below.

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xoxo

Ela

PS: Follow me on IG @elarosaria to keep updated on my future projects. 😇