Keep Cool with our Fav Iced Drinks

It's our longest heatwave for decades and with the hot weather continuing, what better way to cool down than with an iced drink. Here at Cooks & Partners we love experimenting with not just food but drinks too. Below is a few of our favourites that can be enjoyed whatever time of day it is:

Julies Fav Cooler

“Mine has to be strawberry lemonade! With British juicy strawberries, freshly squeezed lemon juice topped up with sparkling water and garnished with a sprig of mint its pure summer in a glass. Here are the measurements I use but adjust to taste.”

4-6 lemons, enough to equal 250ml of lemon juice

1 simple strawberry syrup. Pop some strawberries (a punnet should suffice to serve 2) in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the seeds

16 oz. container of strawberries, cleaned and hulled

1 quart sparkling water

Mint to garnish

Serve in a tall glass over ice.

Stefs Fav Cooler

“I adore blackberries and my favourite iced drink combo at the moment is blackberry and elderflower spritz. The key is finding a good elderflower syrup with this one and whilst I could make my own, I have found a great stockist already. Believe it or not Ikea stock a really good one. Elderflower syrup is a favourite in northern Europe. I only use a few teaspoons when making a large pitcher. Here is how I have mine:”

1 liter soda water, chilled

170g cup elderberry flower syrup, chilled

1 lime, juiced

About 220g cup blackberries, washed

80g mint leaves, bruised

Whisk together the soda, syrup and lime together. Stir in the blackberries and muddle in some mint.

Serve in a balloon glass over ice.

Simons Fav Cooler – Vintage Lemonade

“In my opinion nothing beats a vintage lemonade. Tart an tangy, this classic combination is refreshing and definitely cools me down when I’m hot and bothered. Here is how I like mine:”

5 lemons

500g white sugar

2 pints of water

Peel the rinds from the lemons and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place the rinds in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them and stand for about 1 hour. Boil the water and pour over the lemon rinds. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Squeeze the lemons and pour through a strainer into the sugar rind mixture. Stir and chill in the fridge. Serve in a tall glass over ice.

Images from allrecipes and inkitchn