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You know what we love best about summer? Ice-cold drinks under the warm sun. There's a certain joy, and dare we say, even art to summer sipping! And when it comes to summer drinks, there's something about a good mocktail that just feels like a win. No one's slurring their words; the ingredients are mostly things you already have, and somehow, it still makes the moment feel a little elevated, even if you're sipping it in your oldest pair of shorts.
At mainelove, we've been playing around with our go-to water and a few easy additions. And honestly? The results are surprisingly good. These aren't fancy. They're just fresh, simple, and actually fun to make.
If you're craving something cold that isn't boozy or another iced coffee, here are seven mocktails worth trying this summer. No blender required. Just a little mainelove and whatever fruit that’s hanging around in your refrigerator.
This one’s light, crisp, and oozes “I have my life together” energy. This is the mocktail you make when you want something cool without trying too hard. The cucumber keeps it fresh, the lime wakes things up, and the bubbles make it feel like a treat.
Ingredients:
· ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber
· Juice of ½ lime
· 1 tsp honey or agave (optional, depending on your mood)
· Ice (cubes or crushed)
· 1 can of mainelove with bubbles
· Fresh mint for garnish
How to make:
1. Add the cucumber to your glass. The thinner the slices, the more they’ll infuse.
2. Pour in the lime juice and stir in the honey if you're using it. A spoon or swizzle stick works fine.
3. Let it sit for a while you grab your ice and open the can. Give it enough time for the cucumber to soften and the lime to settle.
4. Add a handful of ice and top with mainelove with bubbles. Pour slowly to keep the fizz.
5. Stir gently to bring it all together. The cucumber should float up a bit.
Garnish with mint if you have it. If not, you can skip it - the drink holds its own.
Tart, fizzy, and a little dramatic in the best way. This one leans into the fruit. You’ve got a burst of raspberry, a bite of lime, and that little sparkle that makes it feel like more than just a glass of water.
Ingredients:
· 4 to 5 fresh raspberries
· A splash of lemon juice (1 teaspoon approx.)
· 1 teaspoon simple syrup or honey
· Ice (crushed works best)
· 1 can mainelove raspberry lime with bubbles
· Extra raspberries or a lime slice, for garnish
How to make:
1. Raspberries go straight into the glass with the lime juice. Use the back of a spoon to crush them, but not too much. Just until they look like they’ve given up.
2. Add the honey and stir until the bottom of the glass looks like a syrupy mess.
3. Add ice and pour in the mainelove raspberry lime with bubbles. You’ll see the color shift and the raspberries lift as the glass fills.
4. Give it one quick stir and stop before it turns cloudy.
5. Garnish if you want it to look put together. A lime wheel works. So do a few whole berries.
Soft, fragrant, and barely sweet. This mocktail doesn’t need bubbles or bold flavors to hold your attention. It’s the kind of drink that’s ideal for those lazy summer afternoons - unhurried, easy, and gently balanced.
Ingredients:
· 2 to 3 ripe strawberries, sliced
· 3 to 4 fresh basil leaves
· Juice of ½ lemon
· 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
· Ice (big or medium cubes)
· 1 can mainelove perfectly still
· Basil sprig or strawberry slice, for garnish
How to make:
1. Add the strawberries, basil, and lemon juice to your glass. Give it a quick press with a spoon to get things started, making sure not to press so much that it turns into mush.
2. Stir in the maple syrup. Don’t worry if it floats at first; keep stirring till it mixes well.
3. Add your ice and pour in the mainelove perfectly still.
4. Stir gently. You’ll see the basil float, and the berries shift. That’s when it’s ready.
5. If you’ve got one extra strawberry slice, slide it onto the rim. If not, drink it anyway.
If you're into ginger, this one's going to make sense from the first sip. It’s got a little heat, a little citrus, and the kind of fizz that feels like it came from a soda fountain. It’s pretty easy to make too.
Ingredients:
· 3 thin slices of fresh ginger
· 1 tsp lemon juice
· 1 teaspoon honey or simple syrup
· Ice (crushed or cubes)
· 1 can mainelove wild blueberry lemon with bubbles
· Lemon slice or twist, for garnish
How to make:
1. Drop thin slices of ginger into your glass (Note: You don’t need to peel the ginger, but make sure to use a very sharp knife to get the slices real thin.)
2. Add the lemon juice and honey. Give it a quick stir so the ginger starts doing its thing.
3. Add ice and slowly pour in your mainelove wild blueberry lemon with bubbles.
4. Stir once or twice. You’ll see little bits of ginger floating; that’s where the zing comes from.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist if you’d like a brighter citrusy fragrance.
Note: If you don’t really care to bite into ginger, you can strain it into a different glass before step 3.
This one's got that just-squeezed brightness from the grapefruit, a little weight from the blackberries, and enough fizz to that makes it perfect for warm summers. It’s bold, slightly tart, and surprisingly good with salty snacks.
Ingredients:
· 3 to 4 fresh blackberries
· A quick squeeze of lime
· 1 teaspoon agave or simple syrup
· A glass of ice (big cubes if you’ve got them)
· 1 can mainelove blackberry grapefruit with bubbles
· Grapefruit wedge or blackberry skewer, for garnish
How to make:
1. Start by tossing the blackberries into your glass. Add the lime and agave, then press things around with a spoon until the fruit starts to look like it’s been through something.
2. Let it hang out while you grab your ice. A minute is plenty. You’ll notice the color start to shift and deepen.
3. Add the ice, then slowly pour in your mainelove blackberry grapefruit with bubbles. Don’t rush; the bubbles do better when they’re not startled.
4. Swirl it gently once or twice. You want the fruit to lift through the drink without turning it cloudy.
5. Top it off with a wedge of grapefruit or a lone blackberry if you’ve got it. If not, skip it and sip.
Tip: Tastes extra good with sea-salt chips, sharp cheddar, or whatever snack is nearest.
If you’ve ever sliced a peach straight over the sink and licked the juice off your wrist, this one’s for you. It’s also smooth, herby, and grounded in summer. It’s not too sweet and is perfect to sip on the patio while watching the sun go down.
Ingredients:
· ½ ripe peach, thinly sliced
· ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
· A dash of lime
· 1 teaspoon honey or simple syrup
· A glass of ice (big cubes or even cracked ice works here)
· 1 can mainelove perfectly still
· Peach wedge or thyme sprig, for garnish
How to make:
1. Drop the peach slices and thyme into your glass. Nudge them around a bit until the peach softens and the thyme starts doing its thing.
2. Add the lemon and honey. Give it a quick stir until it looks like a little golden puddle at the bottom.
3. Add your ice and top it off slowly with mainelove perfectly still. You’ll see the layers drift upward.
4. Stir once, gently, just about enough to mix.
5. Garnish with a peach wedge or a bit of thyme if you want it to feel finished. No one’s stopping you from sipping it straight, either.
Is it even a summer mocktail list if a mojito’s not on it? It’s a summer classic that deserves its place, and our version is totally alcohol-free but still hits all the right spots.
Ingredients:
· 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
· Juice from ¼ of a lime
· 1 teaspoon honey or simple syrup
· Ice
· 1 can mainelove with bubbles
· Mint sprig and lime wheel, for garnish
How to make:
1. Press the mint leaves gently between your hands and drop them in the class. You don’t need a full crush here, just enough to get the oils going.
2. Add the lime and honey. Stir it around until it smells like minty divine-ness at the bottom of the glass.
3. Fill the glass with ice, then pour in your mainelove with bubbles. The mint will swirl up, the lime will settle in, and the bubbles will pull it all together.
4. Give it one teensy-weensy stir. Nothing more, nothing less.
Image: Zack Bowen/Maine Studio Works
