Autumn is just around the corner, but you can still make summer last longer by enjoying the best summer drinks we had the pleasure to try. We curated the perfect list of simple yet timeless drinks you can slurp your way through the heat. You don’t even need to worry about getting hammered and missing out on the fun because this blog is all about summer drinks, the non-alcoholic edition.

Fun Non-Alcoholic Summer Drink Ideas

Summer is all about having fun under the sun. But when the heat gets too much, you should have a go-to, fail-safe drink that not only can quench your thirst away but would also give your health a boost. We divided each drink according to what you might be in the mood for.

Something Simple: Cold Barley Tea

Barley tea is a popular drink in East Asia, especially in Korea. It is served cold during the summer and hot during winter. Barley tea is made by drying the grains and then roasting them. When made as tea, it has a light amber color and it tastes a bit bitter. Aside from tea, barley can also be used to make flour, cooked whole, or even added to soups and stews.

Fun Non-Alcoholic Summer Drink Ideas

Cold Barley Tea Health Benefits

Also considered as traditional medicine, a lot of people have been drinking a cup of barley tea not just for its easy way of preparation, but also for its health benefits. Barley is rich in vitamin B, fiber, zinc, minerals, and manganese. It’s also a natural and caffeine-free antioxidant that’s perfect for detoxing.

Serving Suggestion: For summer days, Assi barley tea is often served by steeping the roasted barley in hot water, then stored in a jug with chunks of ice to chill it instantly. This alone is refreshing as it is! To sweeten things up, you may opt to add in milk or cream to lessen its bitterness.

Something Fruity: Vita Soy Milk and Fruit Juices

Vita Soy is the perfect refreshing summer drink for those who are on a plant-based diet or those who are lactose intolerant. It’s made from non-GMO soybeans that are planted in the best conditions to ensure that each bean absorbs enough nutrients. And because this is a non-dairy product, you won’t need to worry about having an upset stomach as you complete your summer bucket list!

The best part, there's a flavor for everyone! Whether you're a soy milk, fruit juice, or tea fan, there's a Vita drink you're sure to enjoy. Here are some of our recommendations:

Vita Soy’s History

Before Vita Soy became a giant name in the milk industry, their humble beginnings can be traced way back to the 1940s when the founder Dr. Lo Kwee Seong was looking for other alternatives to provide the people of Hong Kong with protein-rich milk.

After the war, the sale of soy milk picked up, prompting them to upgrade their factory to a larger scale due to the demand of the people. By the mid-70s, Vita Soy milk became the first in Hong Kong to use a Tetra Pak for their milk in order to prolong the shelf life of each product even without refrigeration.

Today, aside from the renowned soy milk, they already included teas, flavored milk, and juices in their wide array of products, and are being sold worldwide.

This means that wherever part of the world you may be, Vita Soy Milk is probably available to keep you refreshed. If you have the chance to walk around the streets of Hong Kong or Taiwan, you might spot some brightly colored Vita vending machines ready to refresh you.

Vita Soy Health Benefits

Vita Soy is one of the easy summer drinks you can get your hands on, and it has a lot of health benefits to boot. It’s rich in protein that’s important in building your muscles and keeping your organs healthy.

Got any heart and cholesterol problems? Vita Soy is rich in potassium, so it can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Since it’s plant-based, it’s clean and good for the environment.

Make it a milkshake!

Although this healthy summer drink is served in a ready-to-drink bottle, giving it a fruity twist can give your beverage a vitamin boost! Simply follow this quick and easy recipe:

5-Step Vita Soy Milk Shake

1. Put ice cubes in the blender.
2. Add your choice of sliced fruit.
3. Pour a cup of VitaSoy Milk. You can use the original flavor or you can use the flavored ones to improve the taste, or mix them both in!
4. Put 1 tbsp of honey. You may opt this one out if you don’t want your milkshake to be too sweet.
5. Blend, serve, and top with real fruit bits.

Something Sweet: Ocean Bomb Bubble Milk Tea

A list of fun summer drinks would be incomplete without bubble milk tea!

Bubble tea, milk tea, or boba tea is a popular drink that originated in Taiwan. It is characterized by adding tapioca pearls to a mix of tea, milk, and sugar. It is generally served cold, and sometimes it also has other flavors.

The anatomy of a boba tea usually differs depending on the flavor, toppings, or sinkers of the drink. It’s usually placed in a plastic cup with a vacuum-sealed plastic cover, and you’ll be needing a fat straw, so you can sip the sinkers. At the bottom of the drink is the tapioca pearls, that’s why it’s called sinkers.

The middle part of the drink is where the tea and milk mixture is. Sometimes, the insides of the cup are glazed with the caramel sauce of the boba before pouring the contents.

Finally, the top of the drink is where the ice and the froth of the drink are. Bubble teas are filled to the brim, that’s why a vacuum-sealed plastic wrap is used to keep it from spilling.

The Boba Tea Popularity

Because of its good taste and the ingenuity of adding the tapioca pearls, it’s no wonder that the popularity of this drink has skyrocketed over time. What started in Taiwan as a way to save the dwindling popularity of tea paved the way to its fame all the way to the western side of the world.

The milk tea cravings can hit at any time of the day. That's why one of the best features of Ocean Bomb Bubble Milk Tea is its convenient, on-the-go packaging. Unlike other milk teas that are served in plastic cups, this one is served in a can, so you can take the amazing Taiwan Boba experience wherever you go.

YHB Ocean Bomb also offers a rich and sweet brown sugar-flavored bubble milk tea, just as any store-bought boba. They harvest some of the purest drinking water in the world by extracting deep ocean water from an Eastern port in Taiwan. The sourced water is so deep that the rays of the sun cannot penetrate. And therefore there is no way for photosynthesis to generate oxygen, to allow bacteria to grow.

The result? A 5 out of 5 fresh-tasting milk tea that can be stored for up to two years! Getting your boba tea fix is so much easier when all you need to do is open your fridge and drink your cravings away.

Still having second thoughts? Check out our full Ocean Bomb Bubble Milk Tea review!

Something Trendy: Dalgona Coffee

It may be 2021 but we're not writing off dalgona coffee from our fun summer drinks list. The laborious task of whipping instant coffee, sugar, and a little bit of hot water on your own or with friends, for fun or even as a challenge, is already a fun activity in itself, whatever the season!

If you're ready to leave the dalgona trend behind, we've listed a couple more instant Asian coffee desserts in our blog. Try your hand at Japanese-style Kori Kohi where coffee is frozen into iced cubes, the rich and unique Vietnamese Egg Coffee, or the classic Instant Coffee Almond Jelly Milk Tea!

But since you're here, here's a little tip: if you want to add a bit more flavor to your Dalgona Coffee, you can sprinkle some chocolate or cinnamon powder on top.

The greatest part of all these best summer drinks is that they also taste good when served hot or warm, so you don’t really have to give up drinking these when the summer is over. Did you know that these drinks are even better with Asian food?

You can find more Asian products and other curated groceries at Karman Foods!