11 summer citrus drinks

The tang of a cold citrus beverage on a hot day is the hallmark of the summer season. Lemonades, teas and slushies offer a respite from sweltering temperatures. They’re also great for parties and get togethers outside. Here are 11 of our favorite citrus drinks: 

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Lemonade is a quintessential liquid refreshment. To cut down on the sharpness, muddle ¼ cup fresh mint leaves and mix them in.

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Grapefruit Rosemary Lemonade

This lemonade wakes the taste buds up and then puts them back to sleep with each sip. It’s sharp, hearty, smooth and the powerful flavor of grapefruit is not hidden.

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Watermelon Lemonade

This lemonade is sweet, sour and full of flavor from start to finish.

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Honeydew Mint Lemonade

This limeade is subtle and icy. The low-key flavor of the honeydew is brought to life by the mint and this one goes down easy!

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Lemon-Ginger Bubbly

This tart and zesty drink is a refreshing alternative to traditional lemonade.

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Lemon-Ginger Slush

Reminiscent of frozen lemonade, but for grownups. This can also be mixed with tequila for an afternoon happy hour — we won't tell.

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Homemade Limoncello

Using a little less sugar than most, this limoncello recipe is addictive as a chilled after-dinner apertif. The recipe uses only the lemon peel, so you can juice the lemons and make lemonade or freeze the juice for later use.

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Rhubarb Lemonade Spritzer

Serve this fizzy beverage in tall tumblers or champagne flutes with a long, thin peel of lemon zest swirling around. Use a barkeep's zesting tool to carve a curling slice of peel.

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Sparkling Lemonade

Lemonade, the elixir of summer, can be as simple as lemon juice mixed with water and sugar, or gussied up with natural sweeteners and flavored with ginger, anise, mint or almost any sweet herb.

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Total Tea

This enhanced ice tea provides fiber, antioxidants, scores of phytochemicals and a refreshing boost on a hot summer day.

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Turmeric Ginger Lemonade

This lemonade is crisp, soft, fiery, and cooling all at the same time. It also moonlights as an excellent hot tea, just heat it up as-is and enjoy!

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