7 Cool & Refreshing Drinks You Can Make At Home

It goes without saying that the ongoing pandemic + lockdown situation has dampened our mood. Not to mention the hot and humid weather too.

For the latter, it’s easy to get dehydrated if you do not drink enough water. Alternatively, you can also gather some ingredients for one of these 7 Cool & Refreshing Drinks You Can Make At Home.

1) Soda Herbs

Sweet, tangy and refreshing, Soda Herbs is arguably made famous by Williams Corner in PJ’s Taman Mayang Jaya. I remember when I first tried this unique concoction around 10 years ago and it was one of their bestselling beverages. The good thing is, you can easily recreate the drink using just a few simple ingredients. This includes:

• Ice cream soda (F&N happens to be a popular choice among few other brands available)
• Lychee or longan (you can use fresh or canned)
• Mint leaves
• Sliced lemons
• 2-3 celery stalks
• Dried sour plums
• Some ice cubes

Simply mix them all together in a tall glass, stir and enjoy!

2) Ribena Virgin Mojito

Fans of Ribena might want to try this for a change other than the usual blackcurrant cordial + iced/cold water mixture. And despite the word “mojito”, this is more of a mocktail version. In addition to Ribena, you will need extra ingredients that include:

• A wedge of lemon or lime
• 2 fresh mint leaves
• Soda/sparkling water
• Some ice cubes

Start by adding a lime/lemon wedge and mint leaves on the bottom of the glass and press them using a spoon to release their juices. Then, follow by pouring around 2 tablespoons of Ribena into the glass and fill it with soda or sparkling water. Remember to leave a gap to top up with a few ice cubes. And just for the sake of presentation, you can choose to garnish the side of your glass with a slice of lemon or lime.

3) Banana Coconut Smoothie

When it comes to a sweltering hot day, you can’t go wrong with a glass of fresh coconut water to help cool down your body. But let’s take it up a notch by incorporating coconut (coconut milk, to be exact) into a smoothie mixed with potassium-rich bananas. Here’s what you need:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 ripe, frozen bananas (chopped)
• 1-2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream (optional)

Combine every ingredient in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the banana coconut smoothie and enjoy!

4) Bandung Lychee Soda

Bandung, which consists of rose syrup and condensed or evaporated milk tastes good enough on its own when served with ice. But you can level up your usual bandung drink with this familiar local favourite… by simply adding a few easy-to-get ingredients.

• 1-2 tablespoons rose syrup/cordial
• 1/2 tin evaporated milk
• 1/2 bottle ice cream soda (F&B turns out to be a preferred choice for this recipe)
• 1 tin canned lychee
• Some ice cubes

Mix everything except the lychee and ice cubes in a jug or big mug. Stir and top with ice cubes and lychee.

5) Cucumber Mint Cooler

With a whopping 96% water in cucumber, this popular cylindrical green fruit undoubtedly has the highest water content of any fruit. You can eat them or make a refreshing cooler. All you need is:

• 1 or 1/2 cucumber
• 2 sprigs of mint leaves
• 1 lemon or lime
• 1 can of sparkling water or club soda*

Slice the cucumber into thin strips and place them in a jug. Fill the glass with some ice cubes, mint leaves and a slice of lemon or lime. Then, squeeze some lemon or lime juice into the jug before pouring the sparkling water or club soda. Finally, serve the cucumber mint cooler in a glass or two and enjoy!

* Alternatively, you can substitute sparkling water or club soda with sparkling lemonade.

6) Virgin Pina Colada

Pina colada — which means “strained pineapple” in Spanish — is one of the most popular cocktails that combines white rum, pineapple, and coconut cream. Fortunately, you can make a non-alcoholic, family-friendly version in the form of virgin pina colada*. You’ll need:

• 2 cups pineapple juice (you can use fresh or canned)
• 3/4 cup coconut cream
• Some ice cubes
• Pineapple wedges and cherry for garnish (optional)

Combine pineapple juice, coconut cream, and ice cubes in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour them into glasses and if you want to make your drink presentable, simply garnish it with a pineapple wedge on the side of your glass and a cherry on top.

* You can choose to thicken your virgin pine colada and make it creamier by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream during the blending process.

7) Watermelon Mojito

Here’s another fruit concoction good for quenching thirst. The fruit in question happens to be watermelon, which contains around 92% of high water content. While it’s good enough to enjoy watermelon on its own or make juice, why not try incorporating this refreshing fruit in the form of a non-alcoholic mojito? For ingredients, you will only need:

• 1 medium watermelon (cut into cubes or chunks)
• 3-4 sprigs of mint leaves
• 1/2 litre sparkling water or club soda
• 2 lemon or lime
• 8 tablespoons simple syrup*
• Some ice cubes

Blend the watermelon cubes/chunks until it becomes puree. Use a mesh strainer to extract the juice in a jar. Then, add the mint leaves and muddle or crush them to release their juice. Pour simple syrup and squeeze some lemon or lime juice into it. Stir until well-combined before adding the sparkling water or club soda and top with ice cubes. Pour them into glasses and serve chilled.

* To make simple syrup, you just need to combine equal parts of water and sugar (1 cup + 1 cup) in a saucepan. Bring them to a boil and simmer for around 2-3 minutes or until you see the sugar completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool down at room temperature before use.