9 Easy-To-Make Refreshing Drinks
Here are nine easy-to-make refreshing drinks for summer or any time of the year! Some of them you can make ahead of time for any party or get-together. I love the kinds of recipes that are ready when you are. I have a couple of family reunions this summer and know precisely which drink I’ll take. Hint: it has ice cream in it. It’s my favorite!
These recipes were handed down to me by my mom via some very tattered recipe cards!! In case you missed this post, Summer Fruits You Should Be Eating. I updated this recipe so you have these recipes ready for the summer! Just think of family reunions and neighborhood parties where summer drinks are so popular! Enjoy!
9 Easy To Make Refreshing Drinks
When summer hits, and the heat makes our days uncomfortable, you want to make refreshing drinks for the family. I have many years of experience with hot summers and kids and grandkids who want something delicious to drink, and they’re all full of family-friendly ingredients. You’ll find that these drinks don’t have to break the bank, either. Go ahead and make these refreshing summer drinks on those hot summer days and beyond; you won’t be disappointed.
Banana Crush Slush
If you love the taste of bananas and want something refreshing, try this drink! You may call them a slush or slushies, but it’s the flavor that counts, not the name.
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1-3/4 cups orange juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 cups mashed bananas
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 6 cans 7-Up or Sprite
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Boil the sugar and water to make a syrup (dissolve the sugar).
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Combine all the other ingredients and add to the syrup.
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Freeze the mixture in a 9 by 13-inch pan.
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When ready to serve, fill the glasses 1/2 full with the slushy mixture and pour 7-up or Sprite over the mixture.
Lemon Slush With 7-Up
I don’t know about you, but I love lemon and lime juice drinks. You’ll be in heaven when you make this Lemon Slush with 7-UP!
- 4-12 ounce cans frozen lemonade
- 4 quarts water
- 6 cups sugar
- 3-4 quarts 7-Up or Sprite
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Combine all of the ingredients together and freeze.
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After freezing add 3 or 4 quarts of 7-Up. This one is great for a party.
Raspberry Punch With 7-Up
This is one of my family’s favorites for gatherings since we love almost all berries. Raspberry Punch with 7-UP is so good and so easy to make. You will enjoy the flavor!
- 1 package raspberry Kool-aid
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 6- ounce can frozen lemonade
- 10- ounce package fresh or frozen raspberries
- 2-3 quarts 7-Up or Sprite
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Combine the ingredients and freeze in ice cube trays.
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Place the frozen ice cubes in a glass and fill with 7-Up.
Six Flavor Punch
Have you ever had a punch that has six flavors? If not, now is your chance to make this Six Flavor Punch drink recipe. Your family and friends will love its citrus taste!
- 3 pkg. cherry Kool-aid
- 2 pkg. strawberry Kool-aid
- 1 pkg. black cherry Kool-aid
- 2 pkg. lemon grape Kool-aid
- 8 cups sugar
- 9 quarts water
- 2-12 ounce cans frozen orange juice
- 2-12 ounce cans frozen lemonade
- 4 quarts 7-Up
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Combine everything in a large pan and chill then serve in a punch bowl.
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These are great refreshing drinks for a party.
Four Fruit Freeze Slush
When it’s hot outside, sometimes you want something sweet and cold for your summer beverages. This Four Fruit Freeze Slush blend will cool you down in no time at your summer picnic or family reunion!
- 1-12- ounce can apricot nectar
- 1-3/4 cups pineapple juice
- 1-6- ounce can of frozen orange juice thawed
- 1-6- ounce can frozen lemonade thawed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 1- quart chilled ginger ale
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Mix the juices and sugar, then stir in the milk.
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Freeze in ice cube trays until they freeze to a mushy texture.
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Divide into 4 tall glasses, and fill with ginger ale.
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Garnish with orange slices and maraschino cherries. Yummy!
Almond Punch For a Party
I love the taste of almond flavoring, especially when it’s in a refreshing drink. Almond Punch for a Party is sure to be a party pleaser.
- 5-3/4 cups sugar
- 2 gallons of water
- 2 6-ounce cans orange, lime, or lemon juice (frozen), thawed
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1-1/2 tablespoons almond extract
- 1- ounce citric acid
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Combine all of the ingredients and serve in a punch bowl.
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This makes two gallons of pure bliss!
Creamy Dreamy Orange Drink
Mark enjoys this dream drink. It’s a Creamy, dreamy orange drink that both older and younger people love! Fill your pitcher and share this drink with the whole family. I’m not sure if it’s the milk or vanilla secret ingredient that makes this so delicious.
- 1/3 cup frozen orange juice slightly thawed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 5-8 ice cubes
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Combine in a blender. Makes 3 cups.
Ice Cream Punch
If you love ice cream and punch, you will really enjoy combining the two. You only need a few ingredients to make this, which makes it super simple for anyone. Consider topping it with whipped cream for an extra fun and unique drink.
- 1 59-ounce large can or carton of cold fruit punch
- 1 2-litre bottle of cold 7-Up or Sprite
- 1.5 quarts of your favorite ice cream or sherbet (strawberry ice cream is my favorite)
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Cut the package of ice cream open so you can slice the ice cream about 1-1/2 inches thick.
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Carefully place the ice cream slices into the fruit punch bowl.
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Now pour the fruit punch over the ice cream pieces.
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The last step is to pour the liter of 7-Up or Sprite over the fruit punch.
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The mixture will start to "froth", stir the mixture until the ice cream breaks up into small pieces. Stir immediately. Enjoy.
Very Simple Water
Water is delicious. What if I told you you could make something better than water? You can make this yummy drink called Very Simple Water. It has great flavor!
- 4 quarts cold water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon citric acid found at a pharmacy or health food store
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
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Mix everything together and pour over ice in a punch bowl.
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Next place thinly sliced lemons on top of the drink. This drink is light and refreshing.
I like to freeze my refreshing drinks in a metal 9-inch by 13-inch pan because they break up more effortlessly with a spoon. Here’s mine: Nordic Ware Classic Metal 9×13 Covered Cake Pan
. Here is an ice cube tray if you need one: The Best Ice Cube Trays You Will Ever Own! Elbee Silicone Ice Tray 15 Cube Set of 2
. Let me know what you are taking to your family reunions if you have one this year. I love to hear new ideas from my readers.
Other Drink Options
I grew up in Las Vegas where the summers get extremely hot!! My grandma made iced tea for us on those very hot days. There’s nothing quite as refreshing.
Some substitute ingredients to try might be watermelon, peach, or mango in place of any of the fruits listed. Give grapefruit juice a try instead of any citrus fruits listed in the recipes. You can also use coconut water or soda water in place of regular tap water where listed. Finally, use agave syrup in place of sugar for a sweet and possibly more healthy alternative.
Final Word
This summer, make it one to remember. You’ll want to make at least one of these refreshing drinks if not all. An even better idea would be to try something new every single week. My family loves to try new things. I plan on remaking some of these drinks for Mark and me this summer. It looks and feels like it’ll be a hot summer this year, so we might as well enjoy it as much as possible. May God Bless this world, Linda.
Copyright Images: Banana Drink Deposit photos_70154763_s-2019, Orange Smoothie Deposit photos_129608762_s-2019, Strawberry Smoothie Deposit photos_376267792_s-2019, Raspberry Smoothie Deposit photos_11570849_s-2019, Lemon Drink Deposit photos_55539855_s-2019
Wow these look super refreshing!
Hi Jess, thank you, with summer right around the corner, these will be awesome!! Linda
These all look sooo good! I’m going to try making one this weekend 🙂 We will be having some family over for Easter. We might have to make a couple! 🙂 So hard to choose! ❤️ I love all of your recipes!
Hi Camille, you made my day! Thank you for your kind words! Happy Easter, Linda
We love all these drink recipes! Thanks for sharing the recipes
Hi Alli, thank you, I’m so glad you like cold refreshing drinks as much as I do! Linda
So delicious! Thank you for this!
Hi Tiffany, thank you so much! These truly are vintage drinks! My family loves them! Enjoy! Linda
I can’t wait to try some of these. July 4 will be when everyone shows up for the next holiday. I love the one with extract. It’s what I have on hand. I’ll use Stevia instead of sugar, though.
Hi Deborah, thank you for the 5 stars! Bring on the holidays! We need hugs, picnics, and drinks! We need to see human faces without a mask!! I just went to see some of my kids and grandkids for Mother’s Day! We drove 4 hours to see them! It was the first time in over a year I had hugged some of them! Life is good with family and friends! Linda. P.S. I love using Stevia
Thank you for sharing your recipes! I have some drink recipes but had kind of forgotten about them until I read your great post so thank you for the reminder. I’m going to make up some of my old recipes and try your new ones this summer! I think we are going to continue to have more backyard gatherings.
We do make a similar banana slush for Thanksgiving and it’s a delicious recipe. I just discovered the recipe you call Very Simple Water 2 years ago when I was searching for something to serve at my daughter’s wedding reception. Orson Gygi’s (restaurant supply) in Salt Lake recommended it but called it Lemon
Water and gave me the recipe which was also on the citric acid package. They sold me a large bottle of lemon extract and the citric acid. Since then we’ve been using this recipe a lot as it’s easy to make, refreshing, and not too sweet. I’ve found everyone seems to have a different name for it!
Another fun summer family refreshment is making homemade ice cream! I’ve collected some great recipes. I hate hot temperatures but these fun recipes will make it more bearable.
Hi Kay, thank you for the 5 stars!! I LOVE Orson Gygi’s store, that’s the best store EVER!! Oh my gosh, we all need some get-togethers! This last year was just too much! We need to see people, family, and friends. Oh, homemade ice cream is the best! Yummy! Linda
Linda, I have got to try some of these. And here I thought homemade lemonade was the ultimate in refreshing drinks. Looks like I got a lot to learn.
Hi Ray, I used to live in a neighborhood where people got together and had BBQs and get-togethers. Where I live now not so much, it makes me sad, I miss parties (way before COVID). We always served one of these drinks. Enjoy, Linda
Now I have to go to the grocery store, darn it!
Hi Banshee, thank you for the 5 stars! I hope you enjoy them, there is nothing better than something you made yourself!! Linda
Love the recipes.
One thing I will change, however, is the sugar. I’ll use allulose as I am trying to get off white sugar.
Also, you can freeze them for individual drinks, scrape or blend the frozen mixture then add 7-up or Sprite.
Hi Leanne, I bet these look very familiar! They have been around for years, and I love to share them! Now, I need to look for allulose, thanks for the tip, my sweet friend. I use Souper/ or Ice Cube Cups and they work well too. Love it, Linda
Leanne, P.S. Thank you, Leanne for the 5 stars! You’re the best! Linda