14 Refreshing Nonalcoholic Drinks for Summer, Because It's Not All About the Booze

These zero-proof beverages will keep you as cool as a cucumber.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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Published June 14, 2025
Strawberry lemonade in two glasses and a pitcher

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Though the Serious Eats editors love a good cocktail, we also love zippy zero-proof beverages. On hot, humid summer days, you'll find us trying to beat the heat with an ice cold glass of infused water or sweet, tangy iced tea. With peak summer approaching, we've started to brainstorm all the nonalcoholic beverages we look forward to drinking the most. While some of our staffers would prefer a creamy, caffeinated drink like a Greek-style frappé or Dalgona coffee, some of us want something fresh and seasonal, such as an invigorating spicy strawberry lemonade. Regardless of what you're in the mood for, we've got a bevy of fun, flavorful spirit-free beverages to choose from below.

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  • Spicy Chile Lemonade

    Side view of spicy lemonade

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Lemonade has plenty of zip, but there's always room for a touch more zing, and what's zingier than the fiery heat of chiles? For a refreshing lemonade with just the right amount of kick, macerate juiced lemon halves with fresh red chiles and sugar to create a spicy syrup, then "wash" the syrup off the fruit with reserved lemon juice to create a flavorful base.

  • Spicy Strawberry Lemonade

    Side view of spicy strawberry lemonade

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Strawberry lemonade, but make it spicy. Here, fat-soluble capsaicin dissolves the oils from the macerated lemon zest, releasing the chiles' natural fruitiness for a bright, punchy beverage.

  • Thai Iced Tea

    Side view of thai iced tea

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    On a hot day, a sip of this Thai iced tea—which gets its creaminess from evaporated milk and sweetness from condensed milk—feels like a luxury.

  • Frappé (Foamy Iced Coffee)

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    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    A frappé is made with just instant coffee and water, with the option to add sugar and a splash of evaporated milk. Just give the instant coffee and water a vigorous shake in a cocktail shaker or jar, then top it up with water, milk, or ice as desired.

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  • Cardamom Lemonade

    A glass of lemonade with ice cubes beside a pitcher containing more lemonade, next to small bowls of cardamom and lemons

    Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

    This cardamom-infused lemonade is refreshing, floral, and make-ahead friendly.

  • Strawberry Lemonade

    Strawberry lemonade in two glasses and a pitcher

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    For the most refreshing and flavorful strawberry lemonade, macerate your fruit and lemon zest. This draws out the strawberries' juices and the zest's natural oils, and results in a bold, invigorating beverage that's perfect for cooling down with on a hot summer day.

  • Blackberry, Grapefruit, and Sage-Infused Water

    View of grapefruit, blackberry, and sage infused water

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Senior culinary editor Leah Colins' fruit-infused water may be the most delicious way to hydrate. To give your water a sweet, tart, and woodsy flavor—not to mention a pretty pink hue—mash and muddle your fruit, let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then strain.

  • Melon (Filipino Cantaloupe Juice)

    20200901-filipino-cantaloupe-juice-vicky-wasik-5

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This deeply refreshing Filipino beverage, made from shredded ripe cantaloupe, water, and sugar, is ready to beat even the stickiest tropical heat.

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  • Jamaican Sorrel (Hibiscus) Drink

    2 glasses of sorrel in rocks glasses on a gold tray

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Sorrel is a staple of Jamaican Christmas celebrations, but the sweet, tangy beverage is just as welcome on hot and humid summer days. A short boil hydrates the sorrel, and a long, cold steep enhances its tartness.

  • The Best Arnold Palmer

    Two tall glasses of Arnold Palmer, each with a sprig of mint. In the top left corner of the image is a pitcher holding more Arnold Palmer.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    This classic zero-proof beverage gets its bold, tannic notes from cold-brewed black tea, while fresh lemon juice gives it a deeply tangy lemon profile. The beverage is tart, refreshing, and just sweet enough to be drinkable by the pitcher.

  • Mango Lassi

    20171220-mango-lassi-vicky-wasik-13

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Making a classic restaurant-style lassi at home is quick and easy. All you need is some unstrained yogurt, a whisk, and canned Kesar mango pulp. Finished with a touch of nutty palm sugar syrup and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, it's a bright, floral beverage that tastes like dessert in a glass.

  • Frothy Iced Matcha

    20160718-iced-matcha-tea-vicky-wasik-7.jpg

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    The secret to the most delicious iced matcha is also the easiest: Just place the tea in a sealed container and give it a good hard shake. (It's how the famous Tokyo confectionary Tsuruya Yoshinobu prepares the beverage.)

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  • Ultra-Flavorful Fresh Lemonade

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    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This invigorating lemonade contains just two ingredients—three if you count water—and utilizes a clever technique that dissolves sugar without having to fire up the stove.

  • Dalgona Coffee

    Two cups of Dalogna Coffee with ingredients surrounding it

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

    This aesthetically pleasing coffee beverage is as fun to make as it is to drink: Dissolve the instant coffee and sugar with hot water, then whip it until you get pale, fluffy peaks. Dolloped on top of plenty of milk, it's a beverage that could pass for dessert.

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