Refreshing Summer Drinks with a FoodTrients® Twist

Summer is one of my favorite times to enjoy my citrus orchard. I love spending time among the trees, picking fresh oranges, lemons, and limes and bringing them straight into my kitchen. There is something special about using fruit you’ve just picked, especially when the citrus is fragrant, juicy, and still warm from the summer sun.

Once a year, when the citrus trees are especially abundant, I invite friends to the orchard to share in the harvest. Everyone picks fresh oranges, lemons, and limes to take home, and at the end of the day, we gather for a barbecue with good food, refreshing drinks, and plenty of time to catch up. Sharing the fruit from the orchard with people I care about has become one of my favorite summer traditions, and something I look forward to every year.

Naturally, all that fresh citrus finds its way into what I’m serving. I love using lemons, limes, and oranges in refreshing drinks with sparkling water, iced tea, fresh herbs, ginger, turmeric, and other seasonal ingredients. They add so much flavor and color that you don’t need to rely on overly sweet beverages to make something feel special.

Here are a few of my favorite drinks to pour when I’m entertaining—or simply cooling off on a warm summer afternoon.

Grace O’s Fresh Lemonade Base

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups cold water
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar, or to taste
Fresh lemon slices

I like my lemonade tart and refreshing, so I start with just enough honey or agave to soften the acidity of the fresh lemons without overpowering their bright citrus flavor. Taste as you go—you may find you need even less, especially when the lemons are freshly picked and naturally flavorful.

Sparkling Herb Lemonade

Lemonade is a summer classic, but it can contain quite a bit of added sugar. I like to lighten it by combining a small amount of lemonade with plenty of sparkling mineral water.

• Muddle a few basil leaves with a sprig of rosemary or thyme in the bottom of a glass.
• Add about 8 ounces of icy sparkling water
• Finish with 2 ounces of lemonade.

It’s light, bubbly, and wonderfully refreshing.

Mint Agave Tonic

Inspired by the fresh mint flavor of a mojito—without the rum—this cooling tonic is one of my favorite warm-weather drinks.

Fresh mint provides flavor and beneficial plant compounds, while a touch of agave adds sweetness. Keep the sweetener light and let the fresh herbs and citrus do most of the work.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 small bunches fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup lime juice
4-8 tsp. agave nectar
2 1/2 cups sparkling water
crushed ice (optional)

Procedure

1. Place 5–7 mint leaves in each of 2 tall glass. Bruise the leaves with a cocktail muddle, the handle of a wooden spoon, or the tines of a whisk to help them release their fragrant oil.
2. Mince or chiffonade the remaining mint leaves and divide them equally between the 2 glasses.
3. Add the lime juice, agave nectar, and water in equal amounts. Stir until the agave is dissolved. Add crushed ice.

For a variation, add fresh cilantro for another layer of flavor and another plant to add to your weekly plant count.

Orange-Ginger-Turmeric Sparkler

Orange, ginger, and turmeric are a wonderful combination of sweet, spicy, and earthy flavors.

• Combine 2 ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice with sparkling water,
• Splash of fresh turmeric juice, and several slices of peeled ginger
• Serve it over plenty of ice or blend to make a slushy

Orange provides vitamin C, while ginger and turmeric contain plant compounds studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Iced Tea, Reinvented

Iced tea is one of the simplest summer drinks—and one of the easiest to reinvent.

Both green and black teas contain beneficial polyphenols. Green tea is particularly known for catechins such as EGCG, while black tea provides compounds called theaflavins.

Try brewing your tea with fresh mint, citrus slices, ginger, or herbs instead of reaching automatically for sugar.

Cardamom Green Tea

This fragrant iced tea was inspired by the cardamom tea served at Indian restaurants.

• Brew a quart of good-quality green tea slightly stronger than usual so it won’t become diluted when poured over ice
• Place about 2 teaspoons of ground cardamom in a tea infuser and steep it with the tea
• Chill and serve over ice for a wonderfully aromatic summer drink.

Pineapple Hibiscus Quencher

This is one of my favorites when I want something colorful and festive without making a traditional cocktail.

Combine pineapple juice with chilled hibiscus tea, fresh lime juice, and sparkling water. Pineapple and lime provide vitamin C, while hibiscus contains colorful plant compounds called anthocyanins. Research has also explored hibiscus for its potential cardiovascular benefits, including its effect on blood pressure.

For a 20-ounce glass, try:

4 ounces pineapple juice
6 ounces chilled hibiscus tea
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
Sparkling water to fill
Fresh mint and pineapple for garnish

A Savory Summer Cooler

Not every summer drink needs to be sweet.

For something completely different, muddle fresh basil, rosemary, and oregano in a tall glass. Add chilled low-sodium vegetable juice, fresh lemon and lime juice, a splash of hot sauce, and plenty of ice.

It’s savory, spicy, refreshing—and a fun way to add more plants and herbs to your day.

Grace’s Orchard Citrus Spritz

When friends gather at my home during the summer, I love making a big pitcher of something refreshing using citrus picked right from my orchard. Fresh oranges, lemons, and limes make this mocktail bright and flavorful, while sparkling mineral water keeps it light and bubbly. It’s easy to prepare just before guests arrive and looks beautiful on the table with fresh citrus and herbs.

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cups chilled sparkling mineral water
2–3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, optional and to taste
1 handful fresh mint or basil
Orange, lemon, and lime slices
Ice

Directions

In a large pitcher, combine the orange, lemon, and lime juices. If you’d like a little extra sweetness, stir in honey or agave to taste.

Just before serving, add the sparkling mineral water, fresh mint or basil, and plenty of citrus slices. Fill glasses with ice and pour.

Make it festive: Add a handful of lightly muddled strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries to the pitcher, or replace some of the sparkling water with chilled, unsweetened hibiscus tea for a beautiful rosy color and slightly tart flavor.

It’s simple, refreshing, and perfect for sipping outside with friends on a warm summer evening.

Make Your Summer Drinks Count

One of the easiest ways to make beverages healthier is simply to rethink what’s in the glass. Start with sparkling water or unsweetened tea, add fresh fruit or citrus, experiment with herbs and spices, and use sweetness as an accent rather than the main ingredient.

And if you’re following our 30 Plants a Week Challenge, don’t forget that some of the ingredients in your drinks can help add variety, too. Mint, basil, rosemary, ginger, turmeric, hibiscus, citrus, and pineapple are all delicious ways to bring more plants into your day.

So fill a pitcher, add plenty of ice, head outside, and enjoy one of summer’s simplest pleasures.

Happy sipping, happy cooking, and stay healthy,