36 international drinks to cool you down when the weather heats up

spend your summer sipping on sangria, agua frescas, falooda, and other tasty sippers.

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by Marni Fogelson

Playing on beaches, partying on rooftops, swinging on porches, reading the paper on lazy mornings. These beloved summertime activities have one thing in common: each and every scenario is made better with a refreshing drink on hand. Some options, such as limeades and Thai iced teas, may be well integrated into your hot weather beverage rotation so scoured the globe for 36 different ways to quench your thirst. Between all the flavor possibilities and occasions to celebrate, live it up or just chill out with these inventive, exotic, classic, occasionally decadent, and delicious drinks.

Lassi

This creamy, cooling Indian beverage is an ideal dessert drink at the end of a long, hot summer’s day. Mango is one of the most beloved flavors of these yogurt-based drinks, but you can find them in rose, mint, and a variety of other flavors, including salted.

Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer, the golfer who created this drink, was obviously a genius. Half lemonade, half iced tea: it couldn’t be simpler…or more delicious and refreshing.

Shandy

Shandies are another half-and- half drink, and typically involve beer being mixed with lemonade, ginger ale, or even juice. These inventive combos are a great option for parties when drinking the day away is the m.o. and allow you to pace yourself in a variety of flavorful ways.

Sangria

Make sure you’re getting your recommended amount of fruit with some sangria. We sip sangrias all summer long, playing with the types of wine and the fruit that we soak as well. It’s basically impossible not to get excited when someone comes to a barbecue bearing a pitcher of sangria.

French lemonade with lavender

French citron presse are often compared to lemonade, but this variation is lighter and less cloyingly sweet than the sugar bombs we typically gulp. Thanks to a homemade lavender-lemon syrup, it feels more chic as well.

Thai iced tea

Iced thai tea is sweet and luscious whether it accompanies your pad thai or is served as a lazy afternoon sipper. You can adjust the spices and sweetness to your liking as well as what milk or

milk substitute

Iced Vietnamese coffee

We get it. Just because it’s 95 degrees out doesn’t mean you are ready to give up your caffeinated morning life blood. Vietnamese ice coffee gives you a lift and has additional body thanks to the addition of sweetened condensed milk.

Horchata

Horchata looks like milk, but this dairy free beverage is actually made from soaking rice and almonds then blending and straining them. The result is creamy, but lighter and delicious when spiked with cinnamon.

Falooda

Falooda definitely falls under the “dessert in a glass” category. The layers of this show-stopping drink include soaked basil seeds, sweetened milk, ice cream, rose- flavored syrup, and a special vermicelli made from arrowroot.

Thandaii

Thandaii, a traditional Indian drink, has a lot going on: nuts, seeds, spices, milk, rose petals, even gin. An exotic and celebratory beverage option for when you want to impress without a lot of fuss.

Sgroppino

You’ll feel oh-so- Italian making this invigorating more elegant version of a slushie. Vodka, lemon sorbet, and prosecco make for a satisfying drink that can stand up to even the dog days of summer.

Barley lemon honey water

Barley water drinks can be found in locales as disparate as England, Australia, and India. Made from simmering and then straining barley, this drink has multiple purported health benefits including digestion. The addition of lemon and honey make it slightly sweet.

Cantaloupe agua fresca

Agua frescas can come in a variety of flavors, but these drinks (which are especially popular in Mexico and Central America), are irresistible whether you make cantaloupe, watermelon, or cucumber. All you need is fresh fruit, water, and a little sweetener.

Limeade

Lemonade may have a better PR budget, but we often prefer limeades for a sweeter, more colorful hot weather beverage option. Mowing the lawn, going on a hike, taking a dip in the pool-basically any activity could be improved by the promise of a limeade afterwards.

Blackberry French 75

This Blackberry French 75 is so pretty we already know you’re going to IG it before you guzzle it. With gin, lemon, sugar, blackberries, and champagne, really, what’s not to love?

Strawberry, lime, cucumber, and mint infused water

Grab some fave fresh ingredients like strawberry, lime, cucumber, and mint and infuse them in water. Boom! You’ve got a spa day in a glass.

Kiwi pineapple slushie

Taste the tropics with this light, dairy-free slushie made from kiwi and frozen pineapples. Then mix the flavors by adding shredded coconut, mango, or even berries; this drink is a great way to keep kids hydrated.

Negroni

Negroni is considered an aperitif, but we don’t blame you if you keep ‘em coming during and after (and in between meals). Made with one part gin, one part Campari, and one part vermouth rosso, this Italian cocktail is garnished with an orange peel.

Mai Tai

Despite it’s exotic moniker (which basically means “very good” or “the best” in Tahitian), the Mai Tai was most likely created in California. We only need one nearly universally accepted word to describe this particular version, which combines rum, orange and pineapple juices, and coconut-y Malibu: YUM!

Moroccan mint tea

Whether you serve it hot or iced, Moroccan mint tea always manages to lift us up and chill us out. We love sipping this heavenly elixir from dainty glasses, but any vessel will do.

Bubble tea

We never tire of slurping up the chewy tapioca balls that dot bubble teas. With flavors run the gamut from taro to green tea to lychee, challenge your tastebuds and find a new favorite.

Lemon-infused Ouzo mint spritzer

Ouzo is a beloved drink in Greece, but some find the flavor a bit too strong. Cut the anise-flavored taste of ouzo by infusing it with energizing lemon and swirling in some homemade mint simple syrup. Adding club soda lightens this dreamy drink even more.

Blackberry sweet tea

Southerners have been turning porch sitting into an art since way before Gone With the Wind. Grab a seat on the porch swing and a big pitcher of blackberry sweet tea for when friends and loved ones pop by and then end up staying for hours.

Caiprinha

The caiprinha is the national cocktail of Brazil, and you know this sun-worshipping, beach-going country wouldn’t let you down when it comes to drinks. Made with sugar cane liquor and lime muddled with sugar, it’s a simple drink that packs a major party punch.

Banana split milkshake

Too much effort (and mess) to make an actual banana split? You can easily turn this all-American treat into a milkshake with the same ingredients and without the need for a million napkins. Of course, any milkshake flavor will cool you down on a summer’s day; pick a different version (chocolate, mint, peach, blueberry, dairy-free, etc) all summer long.

Dirty Shirley Temple

At a certain age, ordering a Shirley Temple will cause more than a slight eye raise despite the fact that the grenadine, sprite concoctions (don’t forget the cherry on top) are straight up tasty. Adding a little vodka brings gives the drink a more mature taste; just make sure you don’t mix up your glass with the kids’!

Iced coconut matcha latte

A homemade iced coconut milk and matcha green tea latte is calling your name on mornings where making a “real” breakfast seems too ambitious. This drink comes together in less than a minute and looks pretty too!

Pisco Sour

This classic cocktail from Peru is actually sweet and sour with compliments to the lime juice and sugar syrup ingredients. The froth on top comes courtesy of whipped egg white.

Watermelon breeze

You will not be able to stop drinking these, nor will you want to! Blend chilled watermelon, coconut water, and a splash of lime for the ultimate healthy thirst quencher.

Iced chai tea latte

Skip the $5 chai tea lattes and make your own. The yummy fresh fragrance of the spices will take this beloved morning pick-me- up to the next level. Having some homemade concentrate on hand means you can you skip the long lines at the coffee shop.

Paloma

Despite some painful experiences in college that caused us to forever swear off of tequila, we’re willing to break our rules to try the Paloma, a Mexican cocktail. The Paloma is simple, requiring little more than grapefruit juice, carbonated water, and tequila (and maybe a slice of lime), but it is gorgeous and perfectly pink.

Fennel apple spritzer

Fennel is added to apple for a slightly untraditional take on the German drink apfelshorle (apple juice mixed with carbonated water). A refreshing and not-to-sweet drink we’ll continue to make into the fall.

Ginjinha

A popular Portuguese liquor, ginjinha is made by soaking sour cherries in alcohol and sugar. It’s drunk in shots, and what really we’re all about it’s served in tiny chocolate cups for a potent chilled sip.

Ginger beer

Imbibing ginger beer takes us back to carefree days on tropical beaches. The spicy, non-alcoholic drink is made for serving with any number of cuisines, but the rich, deep flavor can also stand on its own all night long.

Zobo

Zobo drink is known by several names: roselle juice, sorrel drink, bissap, flor de jamaica juice, hibiscus juice, and can be found in countries in Asia, Western Africa, and the Caribbean. What you need to know: this deliciously tangy drink is made from hibiscus flowers and is more layered and rich than many other juices.

Kvass

Kvass originated as a fermented beverage in Eastern Europe that was made using stale bread. Now health nuts and hipsters have embraced the drink’s health- promoting and probiotic-rich properties using ingredients like beets, raspberries, cranberries, and apples.