ah, liquid refreshment

It's that time of year when drinking extra liquids is important.. And cold ones required :)

There's a few beverages I like to keep in the fridge. And since we now have a working icemaker, we sure have been using it :) I grew up in a low sugar household, so I prefer my drinks less sweet.

So, number one. Water. Just plain ole tapwater is good. Fill a glass with ice, and filler up with water.

Two. Iced tea. Yum. I like to take 6-8 teabags, clip them together and hang them in a gallon pitcher, fill with water, and set in the hot sun for a couple hours. I like various berries, zingers, and chais best for iced tea. I stay away from traditional blacks and greens because it gets bitter fast.

Three. Lemonaide. One cup each sugar and lemon juice in a gallon pitcher. Fill with water and stir it up. I like to slice up a fresh lemon and sometimes a lime to toss in. If I make a party sized batch, I like to slice up a couple lemons and limes, and an orange and a grapefruit to toss in.

Four. Kool aide. The packet says one cup sugar per packet. Not me. Two packets, one cup sugar, gallon pitcher.

Five. Juice. I tend to get frozen concentrates when they are on sale, anything non citrus. (I prefer my citrus "fresh") I leave it on the counter till it's thawed, and almost always add at least a half a can more water than the instructions.

Six. Alcohol. Yep, theres something just good about a cold fizzy brew on a hot afternoon. Drink responsibly. Keep in mind that 12 oz of alcohol drink does not hydrate ya like 12 oz of non alcohol.

And in my opinion. Stay away from sugary soda. Stuff isn't good for you. Don't use sports drinks unless you are actually working it that hard. Try eating a pickle or having some tomato juice or V8. Those too have the stuff your body is losing, but on more natural levels.

Keeping it cold:
Using insulated and freezable beverage containers is always great. Sometimes ya just gotta use ice.
Don't want to water it down like that? Make ice cubes of the beverage. Dilute whatever by about a quarter more, pour into tray, and freeze. If you use straight lemon or lime juice, it only takes a little juice to flavor a lot of ice cubes.
For "fancy" ice cubes for presentation. You can freeze citrus sections, mint and other herb leaves, small edible flowers..