5 Quick and Easy Summertime Drinks

As summer temperatures rise cool, refreshing drinks top the menu at barbeques and picnics. These simple recipes are a great way to stay cool on those hot summer days. And by adding seasonal summer fruits to these five recipes makes them a tasty and healthy beverage. Here are 5 quick and easy summertime drink recipes my family loves to make when the weather gets hot. I hope your family and guests will enjoy them as much as we do.

1. Pink Raspberry Lemonade with fresh Lemon Mint
6 freshly squeezed lemons
½ cup Splenda or 1 cup sugar
½ cup raspberries frozen or fresh
6 cups cold water

Directions: Start by making a simple syrup using one cup of water and half the sugar add hot water to sugar until all sugar had disintegrated. Juice the lemons. Add lemon juice to the simple syrup and stir. Add remaining water and stir. Puree raspberries. Add raspberries puree to the lemonade. Pour over crushed ice and add sprig of fresh lemon mint!

2. Orange Peach Mango Splash
Dole makes great orange peach mango juice. Pour some in a 16 oz glass; add a heaping spoonful of peach sorbet and a splash of peach seltzer water. Add a slice of mango on the side and you've got a creamy, fizzy summer thirst quencher.

3. Strawberry Razzle Dazzle
Crush fresh strawberries, spoon ¼ cup to a tall frosted glass, and add two scoops of vanilla ice cream to 2% fat milk. Sprinkle a spoon full of ice cream parlor jimmies on top and razzle dazzle!

4. Blueberry and Ginger Cooler
Using a blender, blend two cups of blueberries, ½ cup of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of minced ginger. Blend until smooth. Fill glass with crushed ice add a good amount of the blended mixture and add ginger ale.

5. Chunky Mud Puddle
This is my personal favorite. It's easy to make, however, I'm not sure I would consider this a drink. Get a large plastic or glass tumbler; load it with generous scoops of chocolate ice cream add chocolate sundae topping, chocolate chips and crumbled Oreos. Stir it for a minute until it begins to melt. You can eat it with a spoon but keep a straw handy to get all of the delicious chocolaty mixture at the bottom. Kids will love it!