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beat the heat 3 cool coolers for summer  sipping  by Yee-Fan Sun | 1 2

Long days, plenty of sunshine, sultry temps – summer’s here, and if you’re anything like me, the hot weather leaves you wanting nothing more than to kick back under a nice shady spot, slack off, sip cold, frosty drinks and daydream the afternoon and evenings away. Whether you’re indulging in some good quality lazing-about time all by your lonesome, or enjoying a balmy night on the patio chatting it up with your best buds, these three cool, fruity, non-alcoholic beverages are sure to keep you happily hydrated.

fresh watermelon cooler
Lightly sweet and very refreshing; the mint adds a nice zippy cooling touch, but the drink is lovely without the herb accent as well.

6 cups de-seeded watermelon chunks (use seedless if, like me, you’re lazy)
2 cups cold water, plus more as needed
1/4 cup loosely-packed packed fresh mint leaves (optional)
sugar
serves 4

In a blender, purée the watermelon in batches, adding the mint leaves, if you’re using them, to one of the batches. Zizz it all up until nice and smooth. Pour the watermelon puree into a large glass pitcher, and add water and sugar to taste, as needed (it'll depend upon how sweet and juicy your melon is, and how thick you like your beverage -- expect to add a couple of cups or so water for a drinkable consistency). Serve chilled with plenty of ice.

fresh mango cooler
This fresh mango cooler beats the pants off those ready-made mango nectar drinks that you get at the supermarket. For an even more refreshing drink, add a little sparkling water to give it some fizz.

2 ripe mangos
juice from one lime
2-3 cups water, approximately
sugar to taste
ice cubes
serves 2

Cut up the mangos. I find the easiest way to get the job done is to slice the mango in two fat cheeks on either side of the pit, then pop the skin inside out and scoop out the flesh. I then peel off the skin that remains around the pit, and remove as much of the rest of the fruity flesh as I can. Toss the fruit into a blender. Add one cup of water, along with the lime juice, and give the mixture a good blend for a minute or two, until thick and smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the liquid through with a spoon. Discard the pulpy bit. Add another cup of water or so to the strained puree until you have a good, drinkable consistency. Add sugar to taste. Serve chilled with plenty of ice. 

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