The Joys of Summer Refreshments

I have been considering “summer” – a concept that these days is defined in meteorological and calendar terms. As a kid, summer began the moment the last bell rang at school!

Certainly, if you ask 100 people what summer means to them, you may get upwards of 60 different answers. To many the obvious answer is outside grilling.

My summer memories are focused on things that aren’t culinary because I grew up in a tropical island (it felt like summer year-round). The moment I returned to the mainland and was suddenly held hostage by the winter months, summer took a new impetus.

As a little kid, I used to love going to the backyard and picking a dozen lemons and limes for lemonade. There are other memories that feel like a silky embrace of a giant glass jar of maví steeping and fermenting in the sun. Of course, I am not sure how easy it may be to find mauby tree bark to make your own. (Trinis and Dominicans make commercial versions available in some areas.)

I also have memories of lazy evenings drinking sangria, or wine, under a trellis of sweetheart roses. And there were the myriad ways I asserted my weirdness by being a little anarchist that refused to drink beverages as they were meant to (combining lemonade and ginger ale, for one). You can always get full of micheladas to refresh yourself!

Did you know June 9th is National Iced Tea Day? NPR did...

There was the creative iced tea period. My take was that adding juices and even fruit to change the taste slightly and keep iced tea fun was brilliant – though back then some of my friends did not agree. Snapple proved them wrong in so many varieties! Some of them, I am certain, buy the really expensive varieties that come in fancily decorated bottles.

These people are no longer my friends…

Moreover, I’m pretty sure I invented the classic Arnold Palmer when I was about six.

It will always be better to make your own than to buy it prepackaged – because you should always control the ingredients that go into it and cut down on the sugar and salt content of most processed beverages.

The best part is enjoying the seasonal fruits available in summer, and any excuse to visit a farmer’s market is always a good one.

Of course, as an adult you also get the distinct pleasure of adding all sorts of boozy accompaniments to your summer refreshments from bourbon to vodka. Remember, though, that these are meant to refresh you in the heat of summer, so if you use booze be clear about it.

Go over to the Pinterest board of summer refreshments and use these suggestions to give summer a new meaning – which will engage your taste buds, your olfactory system, and create memories with a menu.