Cool Down with Iced Drinks

Herbal Iced Drinks: Nothing is more refreshing than a cold beverage when temperatures rise. If you’re bored with the same old iced tea, make your own herbal drinks to help you stay cool this summer. Get creative with garnishes–instead of the usual lemon slices or peppermint sprigs, try skewered fruits or vegetables. Any edible herb or flower looks beautiful adorning a glass.

• Mango Iced Tea
• Chamomile Apple Cooler
• Hibiscus-Lime Sun Tea
• Iced Green Tea Chai
• Peppermint Slush
• Fresh Ginger and Lemon Soda
• Icy Tomato-Herb Tonic
• Pink Herbal Lemonade

Before you get started, here are a few tips:

Serving Summer Beverages

• When serving drinks in a serving pitcher, be sure to chill the empty pitcher beforehand. Do not add ice to the pitcher or it will dilute the drinks. Instead, add the ice to each serving glass. Sliced lemons, limes and oranges are best when added to the pitcher or glass just before serving.

• Make your own decorative ice cubes by filling ice cube trays with a single berry, herb leaf, citrus peel or edible flower. Fill each tray half full with water or apple juice and freeze. Fill the ice cubes trays to the top and freeze again until firm. This method ensures that the item you’re freezing doesn’t float to the top of the ice cube.

• To keep your frozen drinks from becoming too diluted on a hot summer day, make some ice cubes out of the same beverage you’ll be drinking. If you want perfectly crystal clear ice cubes, use bottled water instead of tap water.

• To make sugared rims, put some superfine sugar on a small plate. Rub a lemon or lime on the rim of the glass and dip it in the sugar.

Nanette Blanchard is a freelance food writer who tries to keep cool in Albuquerque, New Mexico.