Sporked’s Guide to the Best Summer Drinks

There’s regular thirst, and then there’s summer thirst. One day, we’ve achieved total relaxation while lounging on a beach towel and sipping a spicy mocktail. The next, we find ourselves dead on our feet at the neighborhood BBQ (which never, ever has enough places to sit) sifting through a cooler full of colorful seltzers to find our emotional support soda. In both scenarios, having the one of the best summer drinks in hand is an absolute must. 

Lucky for you, we’ve curated a list of the best drinks for the summer to keep you cool and hydrated during the hellish summer months (it’s no coincidence we’re publishing this during one of the hottest heat waves in recorded history). So sit back, relax, and soak up our Sporked-approved guide to the best summer drinks, including the best summer alcoholic drinks and the best non alcoholic summer drinks, too.

Non-Alcoholic Summer Drinks!

Best Lemonade

Sorry, entrepreneurial neighbor children. We’re skipping the stand and opting for the best lemonade at the grocery store this summer instead. We’re heartless when it’s hot outside!

Best Sparkling Water & Seltzers

What does a freshly washed car, your smile, the sun, and these gloriously bubbly seltzers all have in common? They’re sparkling, babe. And don’t worry, this isn’t just a list of La Croix and Spindrift flavors. We’re not amateurs, okay? 

Best Iced Tea

You don’t need a straw fedora, a seersucker suit, or a hanky to gently blot your forehead to appreciate a nice glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. We ranked the best sweet tea, the best unsweet tea, and even the best iced green tea at the grocery store. (Plus, if you’re a huge Arizona fan, well, that’s got its own ranking, too.)

Best Water Flavorings

Fridge space is so scarce in the summer, sometimes you wish you could charge your groceries rent. Instead of taking up precious shelf space with that 12-pack of soda, juice, or sparkling water, try flavor blasting your filtered water with refreshing water enhancers. You can keep the whole family cool with big batches of the best summer beverages—iced tea, Kool-Aid, lemonade, agua frescas—and prevent your kitchen from overflowing. Two birds, one packet.  

Best Cold Brew

You may not think of coffee as one of the best summer bevs, but coffee addicts concur: There is, quite literally, no better feeling than taking that first sip of cold brew on a lazy summer morning. We can’t always afford a $7 iced coffee beverage every day from the local hippie coffee shop, and that’s okay! Be your own barista. We’ve got the tastiest store bought cold brew (and cold brew concentrate) to keep in your fridge at all times. 

Best Smoothie Mix

A smoothie is a perfect light summertime breakfast. If you don’t want to go broke Doordashing Jamba, stocking up on the best smoothie mix gets you one step closer to having one of the best summer drinks at your fingertips. 

Best Coconut Water

As satisfying as it is to crack open a coconut and sip straight from the source, in reality, warm coconut juice doesn’t taste that great. Try some refreshing store bought coconut water, instead—fresh out of a plastic bottle or aluminum can, just as nature intended.

Best Fruit Punch

The best fruit punch brings you back to idyllic childhood summers. To water parks, jungle gyms, birthday parties at the park. If it doesn’t stain your mouth red, we don’t want it. If it doesn’t make you think of kids shouting at each other on playground swings, well, it’s not on this list. 

Best Boba Kits

If you’ve ever spotted a boba kit in the grocery store and thought, “Hmm, should I get it? Does instant boba even taste good? Will it be fun to make, or just a hassle?” Consider this your sign to finally grab one. Preferably one we recommend. Boba tea made from a kit does taste good, and it’s fun to make, too. Boba is one of the best summer drinks—why not make it one of the best summer activities?

Best Non Alcoholic Beer

Yes, some people really do drink beer for the taste (and not the buzz). If you’re one of those people, hey, you’re in good company. If you’re not, well, you might just enjoy these anyway. 

Best Canned Mocktails

When it comes to the best non alcoholic summer drinks, canned mocktails have it all: aesthetics, cute names, unique and yummy flavors, beach vibes. We hate to say it, but these are probably better than the mocktails you would try to make yourself. Sorry! We can’t all be professional mixologists.

Boozy Summer Bevs!

Best Summer Beers

Summer beer season doesn’t generate as much enthusiasm as, say, pumpkin beer season, but don’t snooze on these refreshing summer sips while they’re in stores.

Best Lagers

Lager is the quintessential beach beer and, of course, one of the best summer alcoholic drinks you can buy. Even if you hate the beach (we know, we know, it’s too hot and sand just gets everywhere), you can’t hate the taste of these crispy boys.

Best Hard Tea 

We’ve got all the best tea for every sis over the age of 21. If only that sentence, like Arnold Palmers and Twisted Tea (iconic day drinks and some of the best summer beverages you can buy), would be culturally relevant in five years. 

Best Michelada Mix

When you picture this traditional Mexican summer drink, you might think of those big cups at the liquor store with Michelada mix inside and a generous amount of Tajín on the rim. But you can find Michelada mix at grocery stores, too! Not all of them taste great (and some are just Bloody Mary mix in disguise), but that’s why you have us. 

Best Hard Soda

People love to hate on hard soda, but really, what’s the difference between a Jameson Cola and that Whiskey Coke you mixed yourself? (That’s a bad example; Jameson Cola has its own distinct flavor and spices going for it—but you know what I mean.) Why bring alcohol and a mixer to a party when you can have it all in one? At the very least, hard soda is the most agreeable drink to pack for your pickiest friend. And your picky friends are people, too!