Cold Drink

The wine and OJ supply antioxidants. (Amounts for a pitcher, about 20 drinks for 8 guests, are in parentheses.)

Not all juicers are created equal — the amount of juice extracted varies from brand to brand. The weight ranges for the ingredients below will ensure that you have enough juice.

Healthy bonus: Antioxidants from tea, 5 calories per glass

Homemade ginger beer is concentrated, dry, and noncarbonated, making it ideal for mixing directly into cocktails. The ginger beer's appearance will be cloudy; this is natural.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. For Maxwell's tips on throwing a summer pool party, click here. This simple, refreshing drink really is easy to make and much better than a mix. By the way, these measurements are approximate. Adjust the recipe to your own taste, whether that's on the sweet or the tart end of the spectrum. You can also perk this up for your drinking friends with a dash of Bacardi Limon.

A splash of vodka or gin transforms this lively punch into a festive cocktail.

Try this refreshing drink on a sizzling-hot summer day. Add a splash of aquavit (we like Linie brand), then serve on the rocks with a parsley sprig, and you have a Norwegian Mary. As with any fresh-squeezed juice, this is best served the day it's made.

A vanilla bean is an extravagance that lends a note of sophistication to this drink, but extract is a fine substitute.

Long before smoothies swept our nation, Puerto Rico and Cuba were whipping up their own fruit shakes, known as batidos.

Adding rum or vodka to this plum limeade makes a delicious cocktail. With or without alcohol, the limeade should be served immediately, since it will quickly darken if left standing.

This is a traditional homemade drink that's found all across West Africa. It's sometimes called ginger beer, though it's not alcoholic.

Horchata is a refreshing iced drink served in Mexico. It is made with almonds, raw rice, or melon seeds.

To get the most juice out of lemons, be sure they're at room temperature when you squeeze them.

(Coconut and Mint Lassi)Lassi is a refreshing yogurt drink that is very popular in its native India and Pakistan.