It’s hot at the moment, which on the one hand is excellent, because it’s summer and it should be hot, but on the other hand trying to drink a cup of tea in this weather is murder (and all those people who claim it cools you down are just plain insane). I got so fed up with getting hot and sweaty, that I thought I’d find some easy drink recipes to make at home, that are relatively inexpensive, will cool me down, and taste great. Here’s what I found.

drinkrecipes

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Iced Coffee

There are hundreds of recipes online for how to make iced coffee, and most of them are really complicated, so I decided to take the essential bits from these recipes and make my own version that’s quick and easy. As I sit here and write this I have a delicious glass of iced coffee next to me. The recipes online will tell you to let the coffee sit all night and then make it in the morning, this is just a time waste. Yes, it probably makes the coffee taste great, but who’s going to remember to make fresh coffee before they go to bed?

The easiest way I know how to do it, is make a very strong mug of coffee (put the sugar in this stage if you want), then place the mug in the sink and fill the sink up to halfway up the mug and leave it for 20 minutes or so, stirring it once. When this is done, put the coffee into the coldest part of your fridge and place a pint glass into the freezer. After another 20 minutes or so, fill the glass with ice and then pour on the cold coffee. Top the rest up with milk, if you choose, and there you go: a delicious, refreshing glass of iced coffee. I just used your bog standard instant, however it would be even better with some properly ground beans.

Iced Tea

Makes sense to follow up an iced coffee recipe with its British cousin: iced tea. Iced tea is just as simple as iced coffee. All you need to do is brew a pot of tea (4 tea bags and 4 cups of water) and then wait 5 minutes, as you don’t want to over brew the tea. In a separate jug, mix together a tablespoon or two of sugar and four more cups of water, then stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Mix the two together (having taken out the tea bags, obviously) and allow it to cool. Then all you need to do is serve over lots of ice. For an extra special iced tea, add in lemon juice (to the cold water before you add the hot) and some mint.

The Milkshake

This is the unhealthy option that the kids are going to love. All you need is a mixer and you can customise any flavours you want. I find the perfect recipe is strawberries, bananas, ice cream, milk, strawberry yogurt, crushed ice, and a bit of sugar. It’s by no means healthy, but boy is it tasty and on a long summer’s day in the garden, nothing beats it. Trust me.