Refreshing Summer Drinks Made With Berries

You’ll love these refreshing summer drinks made with berries, including lemonade, Italian soda and iced tea. So delicious!

During the heat wave last week, I searched for some refreshing summer drink alternatives that would still get a thumbs up from my son and his friends, but weren’t packed with sugar and void of any nutrients. Although I’m a water and lemon girl, I understand that sometimes water just doesn’t cut it (especially for teens), and I set out to try some recipes (and create a couple of my own) using fresh organic berries from the farmer’s market.

{Photo: Nicole Hill-Gerulat via Chatelaine}

 Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

• 2 cups fresh organic strawberries, chopped
• ¼ cup organic cane sugar
• ¼ cup organic raw honey
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• 3 cups purified water
• ice cubes

1. Whirl strawberries with sugar, zest and 1 cup water in a blender until puréed. Strain through a sieve into a large pitcher. Stir in lemon juice and 2 more cups water. If mixture is too thick, stir in more water or lemon juice.
2. Pour into glasses and top with ice cubes. Lemonade tastes best the same day it’s made.

Note: This recipe is modified from the original version at Chatelaine to include less sugar.

 

Italian Soda

• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• ½ cup purified water
• 1 cup fresh organic strawberries, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup fresh organic raspberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Bottle of sparkling water

1. Make syrup by mixing sugar with water in a small saucepan. On medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Stir in strawberries and raspberries and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for one hour. Strain, then stir in lemon juice.
2. Make soda by adding syrup to sparkling water. Adjust flavour by adding more syrup.

Note: Don’t throw away the berries left in the strainer. Try eating with ice cream for a delicious dessert.

 

Slightly Sweet Iced Tea

• 8 cups almost boiling water
• 3 green tea bags
• 2 herbal tea bags of your choice (such as mixed berry, peach or tangerine)
• ¼ cup organic raw honey
• 4 cups ice cubes
• lemon
• ¼ cup organic raspberries

1. Add hot water to a heat proof pitcher. Place tea bags and honey in water, stir and let steep for one hour.
2. Remove tea bags and stir in ice cubes. Cut lemon and add to tea. Stir in raspberries and place in fridge for at least one hour.

Note: Some of our favourites for making iced tea are Swampwater, Goji Pop and Midsummer Night’s Dream from David’s Tea. We also like to add fresh mint once in awhile to change things up.

For a delicious cocktail version of any of these recipes, try adding vodka.

I’d love to know what you think. Our go-to is the slightly sweet iced tea. We keep a pitcher in the fridge throughout the summer and most of my son’s friends have grown accustomed to this healthier alternative to the can of mix packed with sugar.

We also enjoy mojitos all summer long!

What are some of your favourite refreshing summer drinks?

xo,