10 Best Non-Alcoholic Summer Drinks

A little fun in the sun makes you thirsty, so grab one of these 10 best summer drinks to beat the heat!

Chocolate milkshake. Is it a drink? Is it dessert? I don't know- but it is one of the best summer treats ever! Pick one up at the drive-through or make your own- they're all good. If you're making your own, the secret is to add the milk slowly -that way the shake comes out nice and thick.

Raspberry Terry. A Raspberry Terry is a lot like a milk shake except that you blend raspberry sherbet with lemonade. It has less calories than a milk shake, it's not quite as filling, and it's a little more refreshing.

Root beer float. What an awesome summer treat! The ingredients are root beer and vanilla ice cream. There's a great debate in my house as to whether you should put the ice cream in the glass first and pour root beer over it or vice-versa. I guess it really doesn't matter (ice cream first)- root beer floats come out delicious either way.

Iced vanilla cappuccino. There are several ways to make this, none of which require a cappuccino machine. (Of course, you can ice a vanilla cappuccino if you want.) Some easier versions are: pour leftover coffee and vanilla creamer over ice; brew vanilla coffee, pour over ice and add milk; or add hot water to International Cafe mix and pour over ice. You can have the iced vanilla cappuccino on the rocks or mix it up in the blender.

Mocha-chino. A mocha-chino is a lot like the iced vanilla cappuccino except that you use chocolate instead of vanilla. For example: add chocolate syrup and milk to leftover coffee, pour over ice and blend. If you're starting with hot coffee, use a plastic cup when you ice it. Glass may break because of the quick change in temperature.

Cranberry juice and ginger ale. This is one of my favorite "mocktails". I like to mix half cranberry juice and half ginger ale over ice, but you can use any ratio that tastes good to you.

Shirley Temple. A Shirley Temple is 7-Up with a shot of grenadine. (Grenadine is cherry flavored syrup.) You could use any brand of lemon-lime soda and if you don't want to buy grenadine you can use the juice form a jar of maraschino cherries. Garnish this mocktail with a cherry and a straw. Enjoy!

Iced tea. Iced tea is one of the most popular summer drinks of all time. Some people prefer to brew tea, some let it steep, some use the sun tea method, others use mixes or buy it ready-made. I think just about everyone has a different idea of what "the best" iced tea is. I lean toward the powdered mixes that are fruit flavored- particularly lemon and peach.

Lemonade. Lemonade is the quintessential American summer drink. As with the iced tea, some people prefer to make their own while others use a mix or buy it ready made. My favorite is the Tropicana Lite Lemonade. It really quenches my thirst and at only five calories in a 12 ounce can it's a guilt-free treat!

Kool-aid. Kool-aid is great in the summer because it's totally thirst-quenching and economical! As a bonus, it comes in lite versions for those of us watching our calorie intake. If I had to recommend flavors, I'd fruit punch and grape. Well, those are my favorites, but I think everyone has their own. As an aside, I've used a lot of other brands of "Kool-aid" and I think they'll all just as good as the original.

Take a minute to relax and cool down with your favorite non-alcoholic drink this summer.