Best cold summer drinks

Ice cold classic coolers: lemonade, iced tea recipes and orange Julius. With temperatures into the 90s this week, here are some traditional recipes to help quench the thirst and hydrate the body.

Time to find those time honored family recipes for cooling drinks.

Very Good Lemonade; From Grandma Smith’s recipe box, 1940s.

• 6 lemons
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 trays of ice cubes
• 6 cups cold water

Cut lemon slices very thin and add in a large bowl all of the sugar. Pound sugar and lemon with potato smasher or big spoon until sugar and lemon are dissolved. Add very cold water, (I put the mixture through a strainer at this point), add ice cubes and stir until dissolved good. Makes about 3 quarts.

Anyone opening a lemonade stand?  Instant lemonade and Kool-Aid are available. That icy cold pitcher of Kool-Aid is forever imprinted on my mind.

The 1918 candy snack from the Liberty Cook Book, Deviled Raisins: Remove stems from large, selected raisins, cook in hot olive oil until plump. Drain on Brown paper and sprinkle with salt and paprika.

Iced Tea; Anna Varonin, Russian Ladies Auxiliary Recipes, 1963

Put 3 quarts cold water into pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and stir. Continue to boil 3 minutes longer. Turn off burner and add 5 small teabags. Cover pot and let set for 5 minutes. Remove teabags and add 1 small can of concentrated lemonade*. Stir well. Set aside and prepare a large bowl of ice cubes. Pour the tea mixture over the ice and continue to stir until ice melts no more. Remove excess ice and serve or pour into glass containers and store in refrigerator.

For variety, add 1 quart of Gingerale just before serving.

*Fresh lemons can be used if desired as a substitute for concentrated lemonade.

Need something to do while the ice tea is chilling? Here is advice for cleaning linoleum flooring: combine ½ cup bleach, ¼ cup white distilled vinegar, ¼ cup washing soda and 1 gallon warm water for the perfect solution for washing floors.  Stripping floors: use a solution of 1 cup laundry detergent, 6 ounces ammonia and 1 gallon warm water. Helpful Hints, 1980

Orange Julius; Carla 1978

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg (optional) or use powdered egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tray ice cubes

Whirl in blender and serve.

Grape Julius: use frozen grape juice concentrate; leave out sugar & vanilla.

Yogurt Julius: substitute 1 cup yogurt for mild and add fresh fruit for juice.

Sparkling Rose Colored Punch; Jo Dull, 1970

For a family gathering, girlie girl party or a neighborhood cool-off. Don’t forget to add the champagne for that something extra.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 pints cranberry juice
• 2 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 quart ginger ale
• Lemon & orange slices

Combine sugar & water. Heat to boiling. Chill. When ready to serve punch, pour all liquids over a tray of ice cubes or an ice cube ring in a punch bowl. Float paper thin slices of range & lemon on surface. Champagne may be substituted for ginger ale.

Grab an ice cold drink, head out to the front porch, enjoy the breeze and relax to a background of mellow, chill-out music. Keep cool!