With the July heat, the refrigerator becomes the most important appliance in the kitchen. Before turning to sugary industrial soft drinks, there is a much simpler alternative: fresh juices, homemade lemonades, and flavored ice cubes that won't water down your drink. With very little equipment, you can enjoy truly cold drinks all summer long.
Freshly Squeezed Orange and Lemon Juice
Nothing compares to freshly squeezed juice. The key is to choose the right juicer depending on how much you plan to make:
Electric Juicer: for the Whole Family's Everyday Needs
What is it and what is it used for?: A juicer with a motor that does all the work for you: all you have to do is press the fruit against the rotating cone.
Ideal for: Families who make juice every morning or when you need to juice several pieces of fruit in a row without tiring your wrist.
Our Recommendation: The Stainless Steel Electric Citrus Juicer juices oranges, lemons, and mandarins with hardly any effort.
Manual Juicer: for Small Quantities
What is it and what is it used for?: A manual press that juices a whole lemon or lime with a single press, without seeds or pulp.
Ideal for: When you only need the juice of one piece of fruit to dress a salad, a cocktail, or a glass of lemon water.
Our Recommendation: The Aluminum Lemon and Fruit Manual Juicer is compact and won't take up space in the drawer.
Pomegranate Juice: the Summer Antioxidant
What is it and what is it used for?: A pomegranate can be deseeded by hand, but it is slow and messy. A deseeder with a central bowl separates the seeds in seconds and, in 2-in-1 models, also allows you to juice them directly to obtain the juice.
Ideal for: Fresh pomegranate juice, without added sugars, much more intense than bottled juice.
Our Recommendation: The 2-in-1 Pomegranate Deseeder and Manual Juicer avoids the typical stains of deseeding by hand.
Homemade Lemonade: The Basic Recipe and 2 Variations
Ingredients (1 liter): The juice of 4-5 lemons (juiced with any of the juicers above), 800 ml of cold water, 60-80 g of sugar or honey to taste, ice when serving.
Preparation: Mix the lemon juice with the sugar until it dissolves well, add the cold water and stir. Taste and adjust the sweetness; the exact point depends on how sour the lemons are.
Mint variation: Add a handful of fresh mint leaves, lightly crushed (to release the aroma), before mixing with the water.
Ginger variation: Add a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger or a splash of ginger juice for a lemonade with a very refreshing spicy touch.
The Trick that Changes Any Drink: Flavored Ice Cubes
What is it and what is it used for?: The problem with any cold drink is that regular ice, as it melts, waters it down and dilutes the flavor. The solution is to freeze the juice, coffee, or infusion itself into cubes, instead of water.
Practical ideas:
- Lemon or orange juice cubes: perfect for enhancing the flavor of lemonade without diluting it as they melt.
- Coffee cubes: ideal for iced coffee, preventing it from becoming watered down over time.
- Cubes with mint leaves or thin fruit slices inside: a very simple visual extra for serving drinks at a meal with guests.
Our Recommendation: The 6-Grid Silicone Push Ice Mold releases the cubes with a single press, without having to force the mold or get your hands dirty.
Conclusion
You don't need an expensive appliance to have homemade cold drinks all summer: a good juicer, a pomegranate deseeder, and an ice cube mold cover practically all variations of juices and lemonades. If you also fancy something more substantial to accompany it, don't miss our guide to gazpacho, salmorejo, and cold creams, or check out our complete kitchen gadget guide to keep equipping your summer kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Cold Drinks
How to prevent ice from watering down lemonade or juice?
The simplest solution is to freeze the juice, lemonade, or coffee itself into cubes, instead of using regular water cubes. As they melt, they enhance the flavor of the drink instead of diluting it.
Which juicer is better, the electric or the manual one?
The electric juicer pays off when making juice daily or for several people, as it reduces the effort of juicing many pieces in a row. The manual juicer is sufficient and more convenient to store when you only need the juice of one or two pieces occasionally.
Can you make lemonade without sugar?
Yes, sugar can be replaced with honey, agave syrup, or sweetener to taste, adjusting the amount according to the acidity of the lemons. You can also reduce the sweetness and compensate with mint leaves or fresh ginger to give more flavor without the need for more sugar.
