What warm-weather cold beverages do you drink? (I’m talking about non-alcoholic beverages.)
Posted by ash47music@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 236 comments
I love iced tea (for me that means a brisk black tea or green tea or white tea… brewed hot, then chilled, then served over ice with nothing else) and iced coffee (also served with nothing but ice).
It’s my understanding (as an American) that Brits “hate” iced tea, but I do wonder if that’s referring to the “sweet tea” popular in the American South and South East. The rest of the country has unsweetened iced tea readily available and it can be altered (or not) to your taste.
So… What beverages do you like to drink in warm weather? Also, I’m curious what is available there, especially as a traveler likes to go to local food/beverage spots and not just international chains.
ZookeepergameWise774@reddit
Roses Lime Juice with soda. Served over ice. Really delicious.
DaddyRAS@reddit
If you'll accept the tiniest amount of alcohol can I recommend a lemon, lime and bitters? Take 1 pint glass, add ice, add lime cordial, add some dashes of Angustura bitters and top up with lemonade (stirring throughout)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I do drink alcohol, it's just not what I was asking about this time. 😄 Unfortunately I don't like bitters but the rest of the drink sounds yummy.
ShameSuperb7099@reddit
I have never had ice tea. Ever. Am I missing something?
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
No.
You know when your tea has gone cold and you accidentally drink it?
It's like that.
Estrellathestarfish@reddit
It's absolutely nothing like that, have you had iced tea?
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
Have you ever had tea?
It's like iced tea, but hot.
Estrellathestarfish@reddit
Either you make awful iced tea or awful normal tea, I can't work out which
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
God forbid anyone on here should express an opinion. Better downvote quick!
Estrellathestarfish@reddit
Sometimes when you express opinions, other people might have differing opinions and disagree with you. What a funny thing to be upset about.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
That is absolutely NOT what iced tea is.
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
Of course it is.
Tea is supposed to be hot.
Cold tea is an abomination.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
No, it is not. Iced tea is made on purpose and tastes completely different than hot tea that’s gone cold. You have stated your opinion twice, now. Please stop being rude.
NotACreeper2@reddit
It's not even close to that.
Nulleparttousjours@reddit
Agreed, that’s like saying milkshake tastes like milk that was forgotten on the side.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
In my opinion, YES!!! But it depends on what you like to drink... When I make it I plan at least a few hours ahead and brew it to my normal hot tea strength (1 bag of English Breakfast-type tea to 10-12 oz of water that has been boiled but wait until the water has just stopped rolling before pouring it over the tea bag and steeping for 5 minutes before removing the bag) then let it cool for about 30 minutes before covering and placing in the fridge to chill. Once chilled, I add ice and enjoy!
Wiles_@reddit
I like to cold brew it overnight and drink it with a little lemon squash.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
If I'm really planning ahead I definitely make it overnight. 😄
Wrong--Conclusions@reddit
Not a fan of plain iced tea but I discovered Arnold Palmer's (iced tea mixed with lemonade*) last time I was in the States, which is very tasty.
*That's still, cloudy lemonade, not Sprite
Alecmalloy@reddit
Yeah but not American-style. Lipton's lemon ice tea is delish, as are the peach, mango and raspbery flavours.
stevedavies12@reddit
I'm quite partial to dihydrogenmonoxide
ash47music@reddit (OP)
ba dum tsss
mralistair@reddit
water and beer.
what warm weather?
ash47music@reddit (OP)
IMO anything 60-75ºF is "warm". 👍
mralistair@reddit
Whats that in real numers
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Can’t you Google the conversion? LOL
mralistair@reddit
Not on an ask a Brit sub.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
It was my understanding that most Brits know both. 🤷🏻♀️ The conversion is 15.56-23.89°C.
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
Why?
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Because that’s what I’m curious about. I plan to travel there and I like to try what locals like when I travel… but I don’t plan to drink alcohol all day every day. LOL
Azuras-Becky@reddit
Then you're doing Britain wrong.
We're quietly alcoholic.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
LOL Don't get me wrong... I love that I'll be able to get a half pint of something at lunch and I will definitely imbibe at other times but I want to remember my time there, too. 😉
elementarydrw@reddit
If you're not drinking every day, are you really getting the UK experience?
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I said, "I don't plan to drink alcohol ALL DAY every day". 😉
LivingPresent629@reddit
Because some people don’t drink alcohol?
Petcai@reddit
Vimto cordial, Lilt (now renamed Fanta pineapple and grapefruit), coffee milk (nescafe vanilla concentrated expresso and cravendale full fat milk).
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I grew up in Massachusetts and there are 2 brands of coffee syrup available in the store to add to your milk for coffee milk. It's Rhode Island's official state drink! LOL
SpecialLengthiness29@reddit
Lassi is a good one. Also ready made cartons of gazpacho (with an optional basil leaf.)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Wow! I only know of gazpacho as soup... I've never heard of anyone drinking it!
twirling_daemon@reddit
Dirty chai frappe is a fave
Deffo going to have to haul out the slushi soon and get some going 🤤
I like pink lemonade, and there’s a ‘mojito’ syrup thats delicious and refreshing with fizzy water
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Wow, I haven't had pink lemonade in ages! 😋
Enato_at_Hogwarts@reddit
My fav is sparkling water flavoured with muddled mint and raspberries (you can change the raspberries for other fruits per your preference). I really like raspberry lemonade but this feels healthier and you still get the refreshing fizz :)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Nice! Strawberry and basil are quite nice together also. 😄
Slight_Art_8828@reddit
I’ve actually gotten really into iced tea recently! I’ve been making a jug and drinking it throughout the day. I don’t think we necessarily ‘hate’ ice tea, just that we view it as in a completely different category to the standard British ‘cup of tea’
I tried a Thai iced tea a while ago and since then I’ve been really into trying different types of iced teas. I make the standard black iced tea with lemon at home but any time I’m somewhere that sells a different type I love trying out the different options
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I definitely consider iced tea to be completely different than a standard cup of tea also. 😄
Haunted_Stormbird@reddit
Most of the UK never gets hot. We drink hot tea to keep warm and always add milk and sometimes sugar to it. So the idea of letting it go cold and then pouring it over a cup of ice is disgusting.
However I have had US style ice tea and find it only tastes good when it is sweetened and without milk. But not the syrupy sweet stuff, just mildly sweet. Lipton's is a thing here now, the bottled ice tea.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I know the Summer weather is not usually hot, that's why I said warm. 😉 I figured that there are probably cool or cold beverages that people like to drink when the weather is warm enough, so I asked. 😄
atillathekitteh@reddit
I'm very boring so for me it's tap water. If I'm at work it's a 2l bottle of tap water in the fridge with my name on. If it's before lunchtime, maybe a room temp can of cherry tango or own brand 250ml can of energy drink. Not really a fan of refrigerated drinks.
Spiritual_Smell4744@reddit
Water isn't a beverage.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I drink a lot of water too, and I prefer it “cool”. At my house that’s usually cold tap temperature.
luxurysocialism@reddit
Irn Bru is the nectar of the gods, there’s also lemonade, cola, dandelion and burdock. Can’t beat a good fruit squash if you just want a simple cold beverage. But it’s the law in Britain that when the sun is out, you drink cider/beer/pimms.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Is the law because you're celebrating the simple fact that the sun is out? LOL
luxurysocialism@reddit
Basically yes lol.
Ok-Wrangler-4696@reddit
I drink cold green tea, but make it as a cold brew , steeped over 24hrs. (Same as I do with coffee) Makes it taste so much better. As a treat (🫠) I sometimes add cloudy lemonade to it. Cold brew coffee, I tend to mix with milk. Bitter lemon and sparkling water is nice too
Cal_PCGW@reddit
I visited Japan in 2009 and got very accustomed to drinking chilled green tea, which is readily available from vending machines.
But at home, I mostly drink water. and maybe some caffeine free Diet Coke (I'm old and my sleep is crap so I limit caffeine to morning). Fizzy drinks and sweeteners aren't great so I try to limit these, but I do enjoy them.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I usually try to avoid unnecessary sugar (calories) in my beverages, too. I'd rather save them for food! 😄
Cal_PCGW@reddit
I'm with you on that one. Some of those iced coffee drinks you can buy are basically desserts. And I'd rather have a dessert I can chew.
tired_as_a@reddit
Water, squash, pop, dandelion and burdock, these new fizzy flavoured waters like Dash....
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Ok, I had to look up squash. LOL What’s your favorite flavor and do you put it in still or fizzy water?
Pyjama365@reddit
I like a white grape and peach squash best myself, but I will usually have that, something with mango, and something dark like blackcurrant or a mixed dark berries squash in the house at almost all times. It goes in tap water if you're in an area with good tap water, or your choice of bottled water, or lemonade (the 7Up kind, rather than the cloudy mind).
I'm thinking almost everyone probably has squash in their homes, but somehow it's seen as a child's drink and not really available when out (except pubs will have lime and blackcurrant, but primarily so they can add it to pints of lager/cider). It's acceptable to ask for a lime and soda water in a bar, but I wouldn't feel comfortable asking for it if I was on my own, as that would be like expecting to take up space there for 80p instead of paying £2.50-3 for a normal soft drink/coffee, or £5 which most basic pints will cost.
SGTingles@reddit
Yeah it bugs me that squash is seen as a bit of a kids' drink, even though to my mind sugar-laden fizzy drinks are far more 'kiddie' – yet there's not the same stigma, if that's the word, to drinking Coke or Fanta as an adult.
It always feels people are going to look at me askance if I list what cold drinks I drink, as it's the same small list of simple, still drinks as I've always had. At home I'd have a glass of milk (regular semi-skimmed), squash (lemon, blackcurrant – got to be Ribena, other brands never taste like it – or something like 'summer fruit', or orange at a pinch though I find I've largely gone off it), or juice (orange with breakfast, apple occasionally otherwise). If I'm out you've got things like pineapple juice and cranberry juice, and pubs since the early 2000s have usually had J2O still juice drinks (apple + mango, orange + passionfruit, apple + raspberry are all good) so I'll go for those if available.
Personally I can't stand fizzy drinks at all, and think cola in particular is the devil's sputum, so all the adverts going on about how "refreshing" it supposedly is drive me to absolute distraction. I think of it as the first, useless fraction the industrial chemists take off when they're cracking crude oil.
NaomiT29@reddit
The only valid reason I can think of for most places not having squash is that it'd actually be a pain in the arse to serve when everyone likes it so differently. Bear in mind it's considered a children's drink but you don't even tend to see it on children's menus. They'll have what are effectively pre-mixed options like fruit shoot.
It may be because I grew up with a dad who doesn't drink alcohol, but I've never been bothered by ordering a non-fizzy soft drink while out. I didn't like fizzy drinks at all until I was somewhat forced to choose them by McDonalds (RIP still fanta) and I'll still often opt for some kind of juice if I'm having a meal and don't want alcohol, if not just water.
Do have to agree with you about cola! I honestly don't understand how anyone can like it!
SGTingles@reddit
I'm so glad I'm not alone on the cola thing!
I don't really drink alcohol either, so as you can imagine my choices of beverage are quite limited in most places...
Oddly, though, I don't mind that much – I'm just not terribly interested in drink, as a 'thing'. I totally get why people pay through the nose for top-class food, up to a point, because it's a full multisensory experience, but I don't really get why people pay significant amounts for liquid. I mean, I understand that you don't (in theory at least) just pour wine or whisky down your throat as if it were orange juice – but broadly speaking that is what people do with pints, at least, and yet feel comfortable with paying three or four or five quid a go (or seven or eight or ten if they're at something like a sporting event) for the privilege. The same goes for high-street coffees purchased in bucket-sized containers of sweet, syrupy, foamy stuff at exorbitant-seeming rates, and how normalised this apparently is. When I started to see online creators asking their followers to support them "for the price of a coffee", it took me the longest time to stop automatically wondering how much the cost of a spoonful of Nescafé and a mug of hot water could possibly be... 😆
That's a good point about the problem of serving squash, meanwhile. I could bet that if it were on an actual menu somewhere, I'd find it came a good six times as strong as I like it (which is barely-flavoured water, really) – whereas if it were served how I do it, an awful lot of other people would find it anaemic and undrinkable. Horses for courses, innit?
tired_as_a@reddit
I like the posher ones like Bottlegreen and Belvoir- the do things like pear and elderflower, ginger and rhubarb etc... most Brits will have orange or blackcurrant squash (Ribena) in their cupboard.
And fizzy for me 👍🏾
burgermachine74@reddit
That's cordial!! Important distinction, I say
NaomiT29@reddit
What is squash if not cordial?? As far as I've ever been able to tell, they're just regional differences for the same thing.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Mmm… blackcurrant fizzy water sounds so good. 😋
languid_Disaster@reddit
Ribena comes in a big concentrated bottle so you can make squash with it. I recommend!
Familiar_Radish_6273@reddit
Goodrays are nice. Flavoured sparkling water with fresh fruit juice extracts. They have CBD in them and no sugar or sweetener so not everyone will like them, they are not sweet at all, but I'm a fan.
NaomiT29@reddit
Cold tea in any form isn't 'hated', it's just not particularly popular over here. I don't drink black leaf tea at all anyway, but I do drink peppermint tea and admittedly the idea of that cold doesn't much appeal, but I think that is the way the flavour physically changes. For those who do drink black leaf tea, it could be the simple comfort of a nice hot cuppa, and that becomes so deeply ingrained that people just couldn't consider having it any other way. Bear in mind we as a nation will happily continue drinking hot drinks even in stinking hot weather! I am an avid hot chocolate drinker and drink it year round!
If I fancy a cold drink - other than just adding ice to my water - it usually ends up being something like fanta. Though I should note that fanta over here is not the same as fanta in the US!! Any fruity fizzy drink is probably the non-alcoholic choice for most people, tbh. Though you should never underestimate the beauty of an ice lolly if it's really hot!
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I agree that cold mint tea seems odd. LOL Year-round I start my day with hot coffee. My main beverage is water but I do enjoy a caffeinated beverage in the afternoon. If I'm at home I make a cup of hot black tea because I have heating and air conditioning so a hot drink on a hot day is not an issue. If I'm out and about, I usually get cold drinks in warm weather and hot drinks in cold weather.
I am definitely aware that fizzy beverages are not equal internationally. From the replies, it seems that flavored syrup in fizzy water ("Italian Soda" in America) is popular, and I always love beverages and popsicles (I do like the term "ice lolly" better - so cute!) that are deliciously berry-flavored.
NaomiT29@reddit
It's so funny when terms we're so used to are considered cute by people from other countries! 😂 I'm sure there are plenty we find equally cute that you'd be just as amused by. I'm surprised by how popular fizzy squash seems to be, but that could just be because nobody in my family can stand sparkling water!
el_duderino_316@reddit
The weather doesn't matter, I'm still drinking hot tea. Otherwise, it's Ribena, Irn Bru, or Coke.
Miss-Hell@reddit
I scrolled to far to find someone else who still drinks hot tea in hot weather.
I am currently in Mallorca with the sun blazing while waiting for my mum to hurry up and get ready so we can go down for breakfast and a cup of tea.
imma2lils@reddit
I drink (hot) tea and coffee in the summer. 😎
rabidrob42@reddit
It's actually good for you, and one of the reasons I do besides tea being lush in general anyway, it forces your body to cool itself down by sweating more.
Careful-Builder-9931@reddit
Yes, proper iced tea! I also get bottled oolong from the Asian supermarket, which is unsweetened and delicious
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Oh, Asian markets for good tea... that makes a lot of sense!
wo_no_diggity_doubt@reddit
It is unfortunate you are looking for non-alcoholic drinks as that rules out 90% of my options for you. Squash/cordial is what you'll find in most homes as mentioned by others and our tap water is drinkable so there's that too.
To add to the home options. You'll find Oasis in most supermarket meal deals - a true culinary adventure for you at lunchtime should you wish to partake. Capri sun's are also main stays of the UK summer drinks market but tend to be in multipacks. You'll also find J2O's or equivalent in glass bottles in like 99% of pubs.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I'm only asking about non-alcoholic drinks this time... LOL My husband and I love to try locally made beers, ciders, etc when we travel so things like that are already on our radar. As an actual trip to the UK starts to develop I'll definitely be inquiring about local faves (food, beverage, things to do, etc.) as we start to make our itinerary. 👍
Snowyrunt@reddit
Bitter lemon 🤤
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Eek! LOL I'm not a fan of bitter or sour flavors...
RoyceCoolidge@reddit
Mango Rubicon (fizzy)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I had to look this up (I only know of the Jeep Rubicon LOL) and it seems to also be available in America, so I'll have to keep an eye out for them!
HappyUnicorn212@reddit
Water infused with cucumber slices (can add a pinch of sea salt to your glass)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I love cucumber water!
HappyUnicorn212@reddit
I forgot to add I make my own ginger tea from fresh gingerroot and you can drink as is or add honey and/or lemon. I keep it in a mason jar in the fridge. In winter I heat it up & drink it hot, but in warmer weather drink it straight from the fridge!
TheeHappyDude@reddit
Vimto
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Ooh, I just looked it up and it sounds tasty (depending on what the herbs and spices are).
TheeHappyDude@reddit
If you get the Arab bottles it tastes like Vimto used to before they started mucking about with the sugar content.
Rags_75@reddit
Ginger beer, Dandelion & Burdock, Fresh lemonade, any of the San Pellegrino range.
Crookles86@reddit
Aldi do their own version of San ballerina. It’s pretty good. £3 for 6 cans.
NaomiT29@reddit
The autocorrect to San ballerina just cracked me up!! 🤣
Crookles86@reddit
Only just noticed! Haha
ot1smile@reddit
The san pellegrino range is another that’s been ruined for me by the replacement of sugar with acesulfame.
Eskarina_W@reddit
Agreed. I used to rarely drink coke. Now it's the only widely available soft drink I'll touch.
tired_as_a@reddit
SO annoying!!
ot1smile@reddit
There was a Mexican soda variety that I came across in Portugal that had great flavours and all made with cane sugar of course.
da316@reddit
Jarritos is the Mexican one, I found in some off licences. There’s an Indian one as well which is very similar called thumbs up which you can get in the Asian section of Tesco’s sometimes.
loranlily@reddit
I’ve found Jarritos in the UK before too
tired_as_a@reddit
It's so much nicer, the sweetness all taste like poo, and annoyingly, as the younger generations are bought up on it so don't know what they're missing, it doubt it'll change.
Until they realise the health problems the sweetners cause....
BernardBernouli@reddit
Aldi do a knock off San Pellegrino. I like it.
Lympwing2@reddit
Ginger Beer is the most underrated drink.
herwiththepurplehair@reddit
There’s a reason ginger beer is so popular in Australia. Love me a Bundy
Chopsticks_Charlie@reddit
Ooooo look at you
Fibro-Mite@reddit
Water. I drink ice cold water - I fill my 600ml thermos mug (one of the first Contigo styles, I've had for years) with ice and water in the morning and top up with water through the day. By the following morning there are still solid lumps of ice in the water, it's that efficient. It fits nicely in the cup holder on my wheelchair, too. It's all I drink apart from a sweet black coffee first thing. I only have additional hot drinks if we're on holiday somewhere (like Spain, Portugal etc) when I might have an espresso or even a hot chocolate in a cafe somewhere.
My mum, in Australia, makes iced coffee in summer, but not with milk. She makes 1/4 mug of instant coffee, plus 3 sugars, with boiling water to dissolve everything, then adds cold water and ice cubes. I can't stand either iced coffee or iced tea, even without milk, and certainly not the commercial bottled stuff or the "instant tea" granules you can get to make your own.
rabidrob42@reddit
Manco loco monster, it's my favourite monster anyway, but that first drink of a cold can on a wam day hits different.
spnelson@reddit
Ice cold Coke with lime
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
Ginger beer. Everything else is irrelevant when compared, unfortunately.
Upbeat_Branch_4231@reddit
Water from the tap. Or occasionally Irn-Bru.
BG3restart@reddit
I'm British. I don't like iced tea brewed at home because it tastes too much of tea, but I like the commercially produced iced tea you can buy in bottles in the supermarket, particularly the lemon version. Lipton's is the most commonly available brand. I also love Robinson's lime and mint cordial that you make up with water. I prefer still to fizzy. I don't drink a lot of fizzy pop, I find it too gassy.
Dangerous-Safe-4336@reddit
It was Arizona that sold me on iced tea. California.
golflimadata@reddit
The lime and mint Robinson's is ace with chilled soda water. A bit like a mojito.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I don’t drink a lot of fizzy drinks either but I do enjoy one now and then… I do love Lipton Brisk as far as bottled iced tea goes but I prefer iced tea black (mostly because of taste but partly because of unnecessary calories).
BG3restart@reddit
I only drink fizzy pop if it's accompanied by vodka :)
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Pro tip: Iced tea (especially the bottled type) is great with vodka!
ChrisAyersUk@reddit
Deformed lemon ice tea
HauntingCicada2630@reddit
Water
mister_barfly75@reddit
Soda water and lime.
tattoodetective@reddit
Dandelion and Burdock.
itsxgavx@reddit
Calypso ocean blue lemonade with ice
Aphr0dite19@reddit
Tea. Fanta Orange, diet Cherry Coke, San Pellegrino.
anabsentfriend@reddit
Hot tea and squash (not mixed together).
ash47music@reddit (OP)
LOL Thanks for the clarification… as an American, that was helpful.
Subterraniate2@reddit
Hot tea is strangely refreshing, and in particular a delicate one like Earl Grey, without milk, and with a slice of lemon.
I dont drink alcohol, and my permanent drinks are sparkling water with Belvoir Elderflower Cordial (free of artificial sweeteners), or just as it comes, with a slice of lime; plus I keep a large cafétiere of cold brewed coffee at all times as I need a good bit of caffeine throughout the day. (It tastes delicious brewedz this way, for some reason, sweet snd nutty)
buzzfrightyears@reddit
I've just discovered lime watermelon and mint cordial. Divine
Tylerama1@reddit
Water with Belvoir ginger cordial 🤤
Every_Individual_25@reddit
Ginger beer, most brands but Bunderberg is my fave, a bit pricey though.
Enjoying watered down cranberry juice just now with ginger shots.
Crazy_Breakfast_6327@reddit
Tap water
chocklityclair@reddit
Tea. A nice hot cup of tea. Or six.
-Intrepid-Path-@reddit
Water. Kombucha. Occasional coke.
Silver-Machine-3092@reddit
We actually drink hot tea on a hot day, just the same as on a cold day.
onlyoneofmetoday@reddit
Iced coffee, I am a coffee person it helps me function. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue so yeah coffee in any form please.
t_beermonster@reddit
I keep a 2l bottle of tap water in the fridge year round.
Various fruit juices often let out with cold water to prevent them being cloying.
More rarely whatever squash I can find sweetened with just sugar and fruit juice.
Opposite_Funny9958@reddit
Cranberry juice, iced coffee.
Flavour-saver@reddit
Quarter of a lime, fresh mint, crushed ice and fizzy water
antlered-god@reddit
That sounds really good other than fizzy water. Just normal tap water for me please
Sugarhoneytits@reddit
This is on my summer BBQ list now, thank you!
antlered-god@reddit
Water from the kitchen tap. I hate fizzy drinks or squashes. I don't like drinking anything that's been in the fridge either.
Reasonable_sweetpea@reddit
The Belvoir non alcoholic cocktail style drinks are lovely - they do a peach Bellini style one and a mojito which feel like grown up drinks without the alcohol. Ice tea is also available in supermarkets and even some self serve soft drink machines (eg five guys)
Apprehensive-List794@reddit
Iced lattes, crispy Coke Zero, blueberry syrup with either fresh lemon juice, sparkling water and ice or sprite and ice. So many options.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Ooh, the blueberry with lemon sounds delicious! I might have to hunt down something like that here. 😋
Apprehensive-List794@reddit
I cannot stress enough how easy and delicious it is. Simply make a basic blueberry syrup combining blueberries lemon juice and water and sugar on the stove and bam, syrup. Let it cool and strain it and you’ve got a delicious syrup that’ll keep a few days in the fridge. Endless drinks and you can also use it in baked goods.
ProgressMiserable878@reddit
I've done the same with elderflower and the pink flowers off my black lace which are similar. Mixed together with some chopped hawthorn leaves and it makes a ni s tea or syrup with lemon juice and coconut sugar as I don't use white sugar.
Apprehensive-List794@reddit
Coconut sugar is amazing
ash47music@reddit (OP)
How fortunate that blueberries are in season! Definitely need to try this. 💙
Responsible_News577@reddit
Tap water.
Delicious_Link6703@reddit
I like fruit squash made up with sparkling water.
Llamallamapig@reddit
I like Lipton's Ice Tea, the peach and lemon ones in particular. Otherwise I drink orange, juice, cloudy apple juice, pineapple juice and squash.
Worried-Patience7963@reddit
Drink Fanta Lemon on holiday only. I love it.
fyrflyeffect@reddit
Strawberry lemonade
LordJebusVII@reddit
Iced water, maybe apple and blackcurrant juice or some summer fruit punch or something. Typically though I'm sticking with a hot cup of tea unless I'm outside.
I will have a can of Dr Pepper if I have nothing else in and no ice rather than room temperature tap water, but then if I have Dr Pepper in I will also have cans of berry cider and would almost always choose those over pop. I drink iced coffee but only if I'm working, never to relax, so if I'm eating out for lunch on a hot day there's no chance I'm having an iced coffee
Budget_Algae_3066@reddit
I'm Scottish so I just drink the bountiful beauty of our superior tap water.
Perception_4992@reddit
Decent Kombucha. Soda/fizzy water & lime cordial
bibipbapbap@reddit
Proper kombucha for me too, nothing beats it!
MJsThriller@reddit
Water
Junior_Syrup_1036@reddit
Ice cold fully leaded coke
Xerothor@reddit
I can't do full coke any more. So sweet it feels like it's sticking to me teeth
sickiesusan@reddit
That’s because it actually is and rotting them at the same time …
fyonn@reddit
That’s it for me. In fact if you’re not putting the cocaine back in then stop messing about with other varieties and just give me the good full fat stuff.
sickiesusan@reddit
Pint of orange and lemonade.
ShortFlamingo3409@reddit
Lager shandy although I much prefer the Spanish version that I replicate fairly successfully at home using Fosters and Fanta Lemon. Serve in a frosted glass.
cupidstunt01@reddit
Carling
freezingsheep@reddit
Chilled guava juice.
Wrong--Conclusions@reddit
Brits don't hate iced tea, it's just not that popular here. For a long time, iced tea was basically a bottle of peach or lemon Lipton's ice tea. A lot of coffee shops do now offer various ice tea options, and Boba (bubble tea) has also become very popular.
The type of iced tea you refer to is still not that common - just plain cold black tea with no flavourings - is still not very common, however.
Sugarhoneytits@reddit
A tall glass filled with ice and fresh orange slices, pour in IrnBru Zero.
So good I don't touch alcohol anymore.
Spirited-Alarm-9981@reddit
An ice cold Coke always sits nicely, but other than that an ungodly amount of Vimto is my go to
Holiday-Sand-2326@reddit
Uk root beer fan.
Wearethedevil@reddit
Me too! American week at Aldi/Lidl, I load up! My Sainsbury's don't stock it like others do, so I rely on Aldi/Lidl or online.
decentlyfair@reddit
Fruit syrups such as strawberry or apricot diluted with fizzy water. Or a good quality cordial such as lime and mint diluted with fizzy water. I don’t like the fizzy drinks such as Fanta or Pepsi or whatever, we have here with artificial sweeteners and am not keen on the chemical taste of most of them anyway.
bradclark2001@reddit
A 2L bottle of Aldi’s own Pepsi max
languid_Disaster@reddit
A nice elderflower cordial with ice and sparkling water
Puzzled-Horse279@reddit
Milkshakes or punch/juices
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Do your milkshakes have ice cream (like in America) or are they what we would call flavored milk (like just milk with chocolate or strawberry Nesquik)?
SGTingles@reddit
If you're making one at home, it's very likely going to be Nesquik-style. If you buy one in Burger King or McDonald's it's going to be like liquid ice-cream.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Okay, good to know there’s a difference… language is everything! In America a “milkshake” will always have ice cream.
SGTingles@reddit
I may be quite wrong, of course – there may be people all over Britain carefully blending ice-cream into their homemade milkshakes. But I've not seen or heard a heap of evidence for it myself, if so..!
s_tapz@reddit
Beer
Dense-Coat-4280@reddit
Vimto.
AkihabaraWasteland@reddit
Irn Bru
Nulleparttousjours@reddit
I make all sorts of iced tea based drinks, including iced matcha which is amazing, sometimes water based and sometimes milk or oatmilk based for a creamy treat.
There is a company called Bird and Blend which sells brilliant tea based concoctions and has some great recipe ideas. All my mates are always excited for my special drinks.
Manbry@reddit
Blackcurrant and soda x
TyBattleCat@reddit
I live iced tea and drink it when all year round. I think it is a bit unusual though. I also drink regular hot tea and ginger tea.
Other cold drinks, limonata, raspberry lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale (a cold ginger beer is lovely when it’s very hot).
Fuzzy_Possibility@reddit
Normally just plain water but on the odd occasion I’ll add in some squash and if I’m out maybe a J20
Tom_FooIery@reddit
Irn Bru, it just hits the spot every time.
malkebulan@reddit
Lemon cordial with a drop of ginger syrup 👌🏾
Interesting_Fish309@reddit
A nice fresh juice like orange or apple or pineapple n loads of ice. Love lemonade and ice. I love ice, I sit crunching it sometimes Hahaha. Also love a cup of tea outside in the sun too even on a hot day haha
caffeinejunkie123@reddit
Iced coffee or sparkling water with a shot of fruit juice n
Stefgrep66@reddit
I have developed a taste for frappe lately, although only when I'm out.
At home it's just squash or water.
Paulstan67@reddit
Iced tea isn't particularly popular although most supermarkets do sell bottles of ready made stuff, usually heavily flavoured with lemon or peach.
I think this is because 99% of the tea we drink is breakfast tea, served hot with milk, and people just can't get a taste for tea without milk.
Cordial or squash is very popular, it's a concentrated fruit drink that we dilute with water. Popular flavours are orange , blackcurrant and lime.
I personally drink cold earl grey tea (we rarely use or need ice here in northern Cumbria) or blackcurrant cordial.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Yes, I’m definitely concerned about ordering hot tea when I finally get to visit the UK. I hate milk in my tea and I know the UK usually brews it much stronger than I like my black tea to be. Of course that makes sense since it’s usually being diluted with milk, but I’m going to have to figure out how to order my tea so I get what I want. LOL
Paulstan67@reddit
Most places will bring a tea pot, with a jug of milk , (and sometimes an extra jug of hot water) and you basically make your own.
There are some cafes where they will make the brew in a mug, so just say no milk.
Lemon is available in pubs and some cafes but not everywhere.
HamsterTowel@reddit
Lightly carbonated dandelion and burdock.
Onlyfangz@reddit
Fresh orange juice, cranberry juice, cloudy lemonade, and tonic water - all with loads of ice
Madog-Hellgeese@reddit
Lime and soda with loads of ice 🤤
Wasps_are_bastards@reddit
Squash usually. Or Coke Zero
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
Cordial with sparkling water
YourLittleRuth@reddit
Home made kombucha.
TheLibrarian75@reddit
Pepsi Max Decaf, Fanta Orange, or Ribena
ash47music@reddit (OP)
So many mentions of blackcurrant flavored fizzy options… that might become my go-to whenever I finally visit!
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
Guinness Zero is the GOAT of alcohol-free beverages. Peroni's 0% offering isn't too bad if you fancy a lager.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Oh, that’s good to know! And I, too, am a cat lover. ❤️
oldandinvisible@reddit
Lucky Saint n/a IPA and the lager including the lemon version...have yet to try the new lime one
Do_You_Like_Owls@reddit
Mocha Frappe or iced mocha.
Anything icey with coffee and/or chocolate.
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Mmmm… delicious!
R0gu3tr4d3r@reddit
Just iced water or a full fat coke now and again. Everything else has been ruined by sweeteners
This-Willow-4655@reddit
Guinness
ash47music@reddit (OP)
That’s alcohol, but yes! LOL
My_sloth_life@reddit
Mainly water but if I can find it Appletiser juice
ash47music@reddit (OP)
I drink a lot of water too. I’m glad that water-filling stations are a thing there… from what I can tell they’re much more prevalent than they are where I live. I think they’re more widely available in larger cities.
UntappdBeer@reddit
Coke
TuffB80@reddit
Sparkling Water
GeorgiaL44@reddit
Iced tea definitely exists, I drink it all the time as I hate coffee. You can get it in almost all chain coffee shops in the UK
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Awesome!
GeorgiaL44@reddit
I should clarify, they often add peach syrup to it, as that's the preferred iced tea flavour over here, but I tend to ask for it without as I find it too sweet
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Oh, that’s good to know. Here I have to remember to ask for it with no lemon slice. 👍🏻
Slight-Brush@reddit
I've become a fan of the zero-alcohol Aperol Spritz knockoffs - Crodino and the M&S one are best but the Lidl version is quite nice too
oldandinvisible@reddit
Crodino is hardly knock off...been a staple in Italy for years and available in the UK for a good few too. I drank it when I was pregnant and my youngest is 21
WetCuteObsession@reddit
iced tea is my go-to
Potential-Buy3325@reddit
Polar seltzer
SoggyWotsits@reddit
Soda stream water with some orange high juice. It’s much nicer than the syrups. Only thing is you have to drink it straight away as it goes flat so fast.
Historical_Project86@reddit
Ginger beer, horchata if we can get some from Amazon.
Apprehensive-Top3675@reddit
We do have iced tea with a reasonable amount of sugar – about half way between sweet tea and unsweetened iced tea. For people who don’t like it, it’s more so the temperature that’s an issue. But I love it.
AppearanceAwkward364@reddit
A home made "frappucino" : Coffee/milk/ice. Give it a whizz in the food processor.
andycwb1@reddit
My go-to is ice-cold sparkling water with zero-sugar lime squash. It’s refereshing and realtively healthy.
Tulpamemnon@reddit
Ginger Beer. Unsweetened. Hot on the Scoville but near frozen to drink.
HotPinkLollyWimple@reddit
I’ve been growing herbs in my garden forever and I have a lemon balm bush. I pick a big handful and put it in my teapot, cover with boiling water and leave to go cold. I keep it in the fridge in a sealed bottle so it lasts a few days. It’s nice with lemon thyme in it as well.
mom0007@reddit
Water or squash. Lemonade, cola. Fresh orange juice and lemonade.
Chopsticks_Charlie@reddit
BARR cherryade hits different
LDNSarah@reddit
Sometimes iced coffee, Shloer, Aqua Libra cucumber mint and lime, or just really cold water.
Due-Sea446@reddit
Orange juice, lemonade or just plain old water for me
YorkshireMary@reddit
Ginger Beer
High-Tom-Titty@reddit
Summer I like cold brew tea and coffee. Just leave it in the fridge overnight, very little tannins so i find it light and refreshing.
Less_Win2234@reddit
Iced latte when its whisked with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream
ash47music@reddit (OP)
Ooh, like a liquid Affogato? Sounds delicious!
qualityvote2@reddit
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