🎶It’s summer tiiiiime and the living’s easy. 🎶 Hopefully you’ve heard that song and could sing along. If not, I hope you still had fun singing along. Summer is a time of travel, taking a break from work, enjoying time outside, and enjoying the little things.

I thought what better way to kick off my summer posts than with a thirst-quenching blog about deliciously refreshing and enticing drinks from around the world? Not an alcoholic drinker? No problem. I’ve got a section for you too! Without further ado, I give you these drinks and their recipes (peep the links). Annnnd now, ladies and gentlemen, queue the summer vibes.

Alcoholic Drinks

Summer time is the perfect season to sit back and enjoy a few drinks with friends. This year, let’s ditch your normal cocktail or go-to drink and opt for something more international. Making a new drink already makes a fun afternoon/evening even better.

Colombian Refajo

Cutting a drink, especially beer, in the USA with soda is somewhat taboo since it takes the potency down a bit. However, it’s common practice throughout most of the world as it allows for a more refreshing drink and it lets you drink for longer without getting drunk. That means more delicious drinks. Yes, please.

Colombia’s popular drink, the refajo, is a mixture of lager and their popular pinkish/orangey cream soda. The soda gives the beer a sweeter twist that complements the hops and makes it much more refreshing on a hot day.

Spanish Tinto de Verano

Here’s another soda and booze combination but for wine lovers. The Spanish drink known as tinto de verano is a combination of red wine and lemon soda that is very similar to sangria. Unlike sangria, it takes almost zero time to make. Simply pour and drink. That’s it!

Wine can get expensive quickly, however this drink is meant to be mixed using a cheaper wine. It’s a great addition to any outdoor get together and tastes way more impressive than something with two ingredients should.

Peru’s Pisco Sour

Peru’s national drink is the Pisco sour, but you can also find this in Chile as the countries will both claim the drink as their original concoction. This drink is strong, citrusy, and tart depending on the variety you’re drinking. Straight pisco sours are much more tart, but cream de pisco are a creamier, fruitier version that goes down WAY too smoothly.

Mix this with lemon or lime juice or your favorite seltzer for a thirst-quenching drink. Luckily, pisco pairs well with just about anything so it’s the ultimate choice for parties with picky drinkers.

Brazil’s Caipirinha

Brazil’s national cocktail is not an all-day sipping drink. It’s the “I’m ready to start my party” drink, so drink wisely. With three ingredients, liquor, lime, and sugar, this cocktail is loaded with tartness and the ice makes it a cool drink to take the day’s heat away. If you want to pair this with food, it’s best served with seafood.

Tunisian Boukha Fig and Pomegranate Cocktail

Alcohol isn’t incredibly popular in Tunisia, but Boukha is an exception. Boukha is a brandy made from figs and makes for an incredible fruity cocktail and dates back to 1820. Ingredients like cardamom, mint, pomegranate, and hints of fig make this cocktail and explosion of flavor. Don’t let the complex flavors fool you, this drink is pretty simple and fun to make. Don’t like a certain ingredient? Just substitute something similar in its place and you’ve got yourself another unique combination of yum.

Non Alcoholic Summer Drinks

From the first half of the post you probably can’t tell that I’m really not a drinker. I used to drink and then I just got bored with it. The recipes below are all non-alcoholic and will have you itching to try them. They’re unique and delicious at the same time. Hello new experiences. Here we come.

India’s Neer More

Most mixed drinks and cocktails are very sweet even if they are tart. India’s delicious concoction is much more on the salty side of the taste spectrum. Summers in the U.S. get hot, but there are very few places that get HOT. In India, they have combatting this heat with drinks down to an art.

When temperatures get super hot and our bodies sweat and lose lots of salt, a salty drink is going to be MUCH more refreshing than a sugary drink. Add dairy to the mix and you have the perfect heat-resistant drink for hot 100 degree summer days. Neer More is a frothy spiced buttermilk drink that gives you the chance to experiment with different flavors such as lime, ginger, and even mustard seeds.

SE Asia’s Sour Plum Soda

Fizzy drinks hit the spot better than non-fizzy drinks 9 times out of 10. This drink is so popular that it isn’t associated with one country but an entire region. Consisting of salty preserved plums, sugar, and sparkling water this drink is extremely easy to make. If you’re looking for something that’s savory, sweet, and fruity all at once, you need to try this drink.

Thailand’s Nam Manao

Limes are an essential ingredient in many Thai dishes, so it’s no leap to see why a limeade is one of the most popular drinks in the country. This cocktail can be sweet, but it’s best to drink this with some salt. Nam Manao is as easy to make as the lemonade we’ve all whipped up in our kitchens but with the substitution of limes instead of lemons and less sugar.

Morocco’s Atay

Wait a minute. A hot drink for a summer drink? Yes. It can actually help cool you down. The Moroccan drink of choice is coffee, but the exception is atay, a green tea with mint. Also known as Maghrebi mint tea, this beverage is served year-round and is almost always served hot. It is often used in ceremonial events as well as daily for social visits. Why not give a hot drink a try during the next heat wave to see how it can cool you down?

Malaysia’s Bandung

Last, but absolutely not least is Malaysia’s bandung. This cocktail is a combination of sweet, creamy, and full of flavor. If you’re like me and have a thing for desserts, bandung is like drinking a delicious dessert. Its bright pink appearance comes from the rose flavoring and will surely impress guests if you mix one of these.