12 Days of Cool Drinks to Survive Summer: from iced tea to a sneaky wine slushie!
Let's face it. Apart from a dip in the pool or a visit to the beach, there really is no better way to cool down on a hot summer's day than an icy cold drink. Whether it's a deliciously healthy smoothie, refreshing mocktail or a naughty frosty lemon martini, we have you covered!

EMUBOB ICED TEA
2 tablespoons All-Aussie Sweet & Spicy Sticky Chai
1 litre water
2 tablespoons sugar
Ice
OPTIONAL:1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk (add at time of serving for a Thai Iced Tea)
Place 1L of water into saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of All-Aussie Sweet & Spicy Sticky Chai. Bring water to the boil then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow to completely cool (you can leave for up to 2 hours). Pour into jug, place in fridge to chill overnight or for a few hours.
Enjoy chilled with ice or try it with tablespoon of condensed milk!

1 litre ginger ale
1 litre pineapple juice
1 piece fresh ginger, sliced thinly
1 orange, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves (de-stemmed)
Combine ginger ale and pineapple juice. Top with sliced orange, ginger and basil and serve with ice cubes.

Recipe and photo: Tablespoon
500g raspberries
500g caster sugar
3tbsp red wine vinegar
Place the raspberries, sugar and vinegar in a pan. Mash over a low heat for 10 minutes until smooth and syrupy. Rub through a sieve into a clean pan.
Tip the seeds from the sieve into a bowl and stir in 300ml water, then sieve again to remove the last of the pulp from seeds. Pour the liquid into the pan with the sieved pulp, stir well and boil for 1 minute. Pour into small sterilised bottles and seal.
The cordial will keep unopened for a few months. Once opened, store in the fridge.

Recipe and photo: BBC Good Food
KIWI & COCONUT QUINOA SMOOTHIE
2/3 cup Coconut Yoghurt
1/8 teaspoon grated ginger
2 kiwifruit peeled
2 tablespoons quinoa flakes
10g baby spinach
Blend all ingredients until smooth and frothy!

Recipe and photo: Taste.com.au
30ml lychee syrup
30ml lime
Mint leaves
15ml simple syrup**
Soda water
Place lychee syrup, lime and simple syrup into cocktail shaker and mix well. Pour into a glass and top with soda water. Garnish with mint and lychees on a skewer.
**NOTE: For your own simple syrup recipe The Pioneer Woman can help!

Recipe and photo: Kurtis Bosley via The Huffington Post
2 cups milk
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons sugar
several handfuls of ice
nutmeg optional garnish
Place milk, banana, sugar and ice in a high speed blender and pulse until smooth. Pour in glasses and sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

Recipe and photo: The Lemon Bowl
3 Lemons
Sparkling water
Soda water
Ice
Thinly slice 2 lemons and place in a pitcher. For still infused water, add 2 litres of water. For sparkling water, add 1 litre of sparkling water during prep and a further litre just before serving.
Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours to allow the lemons to infuse. Stir well and strain, discarding the lemons.
Add fresh lemon slices for garnish and plenty of ice. The infused water will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Photo and recipe: Food Network
Makes 2 large glasses
1 cup chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons chocolate sauce
1 milky way bar , plus one bar chopped up for topping
Caramel sauce for topping
In blender combine all ingredients. Mix at low speed until smooth. Pour in glass and drizzle with caramel syrup. Top with Milky Way Chunks.

Photo and recipe: The Seaside Baker
STRAWBERRY MARSHMALLOW MILKSHAKE
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup marshmallow fluff
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Pink sprinkles, to rim the glass
Light corn syrup, to rim the glass
Mini pink marshmallows, for garnish
Place sprinkles on a large flat plate. Rub the rim of a tall milkshake glass with corn syrup and dip glass in sprinkles. Set aside. For the milkshake, using a blender, combine vanilla ice cream, strawberries, milk, marshmallow fluff and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and pour into prepared milkshake glass. Garnish with mini marshmallows.

Photo and recipe: Bite Me More
THREE SNEAKY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS FOR THE GROWN-UPS!
90ml citrus vodka
30ml limoncello
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sugar and lemon wheel for garnish
Rim a chilled cocktail glass with sugar and set aside. Combine vodka, limoncello and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake briskly to chill. Strain into the prepared glass, and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Photo and recipe: Cocktails Love To Know
1 cup (250ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) pineapple juice
1/4 cup (60ml) white rum
1/4 cup (60ml) dark rum
8 cubes ice
Add to a blender the coconut milk, pineapple juice, rum and ice. Blend until the ice is broken up. Serve.

Photo and recipe: All Recipes
1 bottle full-bodied red wine
1 cup frozen mixed berries
Puree the wine and berries in a blender. Strain the mixture, and then pour the mixture into a shallow dish, like a 23cm pie plate.
Freeze for 30 minutes. Scrape the mixture with a fork. Repeat 3 times for a perfect slushy consistency. Divide between 2-4 glasses, let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature to defrost, and then serve.

Photo and recipe: Dessert For Two
Cheers everyone!
Shannon