Top 5 Most Refreshing Drinks for This Summer

Top 5 Most Refreshing Drinks for This Summer

Now that we’re in summer and temperatures are rising, especially in Alicante, it’s the perfect time to talk about the most refreshing drinks you can enjoy in this city of sun and beach!

1. Lemon Granizado

Lemon granizado is the TOP refreshing drink that can’t be missing from any summer! You can have it at any ice cream parlor, café, or even prepare it at home. It’s a variation of the classic lemonade, which is a mixture of lemon and sugar, but with a perfect granizado touch to beat the heat of Alicante.

If you want to try the recipe at home, it’s very simple:

We need 3 lemons, 200g of sugar, and 750ml of water.

1. First, we grate the lemon (only the yellow part, not the white, as it’s bitter) and squeeze the lemons.
2. We mix this juice with the lemon zest and sugar very well.
3. Then, we bring our mixture to a boil over medium-high heat for a few minutes to reduce the mixture.
4. When it’s ready, we mix it with cold water and put it in the freezer. Now, to get the granizado, this is the key step: after an hour, we take it out of the freezer, stir it well, and put it back in. We repeat this 2 more times, one of them stirring (if we can) with a blender.
5. Enjoy!

2. Tinto de Verano

Have you heard of tinto de verano? It’s a very, very typical summer drink throughout Spain that was born in the south, in a town in Córdoba. You’ll see many people drinking it on bar terraces. This drink includes very simple ingredients but results in a very refreshing mixture: red wine and lemon soda/soft drink.

If you want to try it at home, here’s how to prepare it in the most classic way (although many people vary it according to their tastes):

We need: 750ml of red wine, 750ml of soda or lemon soft drink, and ice and lemon to taste.

1. Mix the wine and soda in equal parts (you can vary it according to your preference).
2. Add lots of ice and lemon slices.
3. Enjoy!!

3. Sangría

Did you think tinto de verano and sangría were the same thing? You were very wrong! Although their preparation is very similar, there’s one touch that makes them very different in taste: fruit. This gives it a very varied tropical flavor, sweet and what we want, refreshing! Without a doubt, another of the most typical drinks served on bar terraces, especially during the hottest hours.

Now, how to prepare the best sangría for summer? Here’s our recipe: For 8 people, we need: 1L of red wine, 2 peaches, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 2 bananas, and 1 apple, 330ml of orange soft drink (or juice), and 60g of sugar. Although the fruit can vary, there’s one that can’t be missing to be able to say that it’s actually sangría: the peach.

1. In a bowl or container, we pour the wine, soft drink/juice, and sugar, and mix very well.
2. We peel the fruits and cut them into small pieces (except the orange, which we’ll cut into segments).
3. We put all the fruit in the bowl along with our mixture.
4. We leave it in the refrigerator to rest for 2 or 3 hours and enjoy!!

4. Clara (Beer)

What we call “una clara” and is also very common to order in bars, is the combination of beer and lemon soft drink. This makes the beer have a clearer color and be smoother. It’s always served accompanied by a lemon slice and very cold.

It’s most common to order it in a bar or even buy it in a can, but like everything, we can make it at home:

You only need your favorite beer, lemon soft drink, and if you can, a lemon slice. They say the perfect combination is 4 parts soft drink and 6 parts beer, but it depends on your taste. The important thing is to add the soft drink first and then, little by little, pour the beer so it doesn’t make too much foam. Serve it very cold and enjoy summer! Perfect to accompany any snack.

5. Horchata

We can’t finish this post without mentioning horchata, the typical summer drink in Spain and especially in the Valencian Community.

This fantastic drink originates from our community, although it’s also consumed throughout Spain. It’s a drink prepared with tiger nuts, sugar, and water. It’s very common to order it at ice cream parlors or horchaterías, although bars and restaurants also usually have it. It’s very typical to accompany it with fartons or have it as a granizado. If you want to know more information about this drink, don’t miss our blog entry about it by clicking here.

Preparing it is less common than the previous drinks as it’s usually consumed outside, but anything is possible! If you want to prepare it at home, here are the steps to follow:

You need: 250g of Valencia tiger nuts (very important their origin), 1L of cold water, and 80g of powdered sugar.

1. We put the tiger nuts in a bowl with water and leave them soaking in the refrigerator for a full day, although if you can’t, you can leave them for 8 hours.
2. Rinse the tiger nuts and let them drain so they don’t have water.
3. We grind them with a blender, and gradually add water until a paste forms.
4. We strain it and grind it again, and strain it again until we like its texture and add the sugar.
5. We put it in the refrigerator and when it’s cold, refresh yourself!!

We hope you liked our TOP of summer drinks. Which one did you like the most? You’ll tell us later. We’re waiting for you at Escuela Elcano!