Tribune Life’s Top 8 Thirst quenchers for summer

Tribune Life gives you a refreshing head start for the coming summer season with these amazing, innovative drinks concocted by our local and award-winning chefs.

These chefs veer away from the ordinary fruit shakes, soda and juices and take pleasure in creating glasses of refreshing drinks from natural ingredients, such as herbs and flowering plants.

Yes, when the summer heat gets unbearable, they chill out and simply cool down with these rejuvenating concoctions.

We checked them out for our Top 8 creative thirst quenchers.

Tarragon Cooler

Chef Rhea SyCip of Flour Pot Manila prefers herbal teas for its cooling properties and verdant rush of flavor. The rustic goodness of tarragon leaves offers a pleasing aroma to the brightly colored drink.

“Living in Silang, Cavite, where the land is fertile and the weather is cool all year round, we have the privilege to grow our own herbs. Our summer drink usually is an herbal concoction of anything available, but tarragon is our usual go-to herb. Tarragon, like mint, gives a cooling and calming effect, perfect for a humid afternoon.”

Directions: Boil one liter water and bring to a simmer. Drop ¼ cup loose leaf black tea wrapped in a cheesecloth, like a tea bag. Add about 20 sprigs tarragon leaves. Turn off the fire and steep for three hours. Cook the syrup by bringing the one cup sugar and ½ cup water into a boil until thick. Turn off the fire and cool.

To serve, in a tall glass put ice and pour brewed tea over. Garnish with fresh tarragon leaves and sliced oranges. Sweeten with sugar syrup to your liking.

Golden Peach

Chef Vic Barangan, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel executive chef, takes a break from summer heat with peach fruit in mind infused with ginger and mint for a refreshing burst of flavor.

“I personally love peach iced tea. I like the soothing combination of peach, ginger and mint, then mixed with soda water—and garnish with gold leaf. Very classy.”

Directions: Muddle 10g fresh mint leaves in glass and add 5g of white sugar. Pour 100g peach syrup, 200ml ginger ale and 30g peach preserves. Top with 150g ice and stir. Garnish with peach slices, mint leaves and gold foil.

Iced Blue Pea Ternate and Iced Rosella Tea

For chef Beth Romualdez, it’s the perfect time of the year to relax outdoors with a drink. She only uses ingredients fresh from her farm and nothing more.

“Every time I am in the farm (Indang, Cavite) I make my own summer drinks because the flowers are readily available and freshly picked. I also make jams out of rosella flowers.”

Directions for Iced Blue Pea Ternate: Heat water and allow to boil with one piece crushed white part of lemongrass. Turn off heat. Add a handful of fresh blue pea flowers and let sit for about 10 minutes or until water turns into a vibrant blue color. Strain. Add a sweetener, if desired. Cool and refrigerate. Before serving, drop a slice of lemon and ice cubes. (Dried blue pea is available at online shops. If using dried, use less flowers. Also, sweeteners can be pandan syrup, agave or maple syrup.)

Directions for Iced Rosella Tea: Add petals of six rosella flowers (discard seeds) and about five slices of ginger to a boiling four cups of water. Let steep until water turns red. Strain. Allow the tea to cool, add sweetener of your choice. Refrigerate. To serve, pour over ice and drop a slice of calamansi or lemon. Also, rosella flowers are available dried.

Lava Shake

To get her mind off the heat, especially after an intense workout, chef Carol Lavin of Lavin Homebaked Traditions goes for a healthy fruit smoothie.

“After a killer gym session, nothing beats the post-workout high and heat more than a cold, refreshing shake. The fruity tanginess of fresh strawberries blends with the creaminess of guyabano, while honey and grapes lend a bit of sweetness and balance to the overall flavor. The result is smooth, delightful and healthy mix — perfect for refueling or even as a well-deserved treat.”

Directions: In a blender, combine one c guyabano, ½ cup strawberries, ¼ cup grapes, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup almond milk or non-fat milk and one cup ice. Mix well. Pour in a desired glass and garnish with strawberry and grapes. Serve immediately. Mixture serves two glasses.

Coconut Water Iced Coffee

Chef and culinary consultant Sonny Mariano goes loco over coconut. He adds a whimsical twist to the classic coffee by mixing in coconut water and buco strips into the drink.

“My favorite summer drink is Coconut Water Iced Coffee. It’s very simple yet refreshing and can jumpstart your day. I learned this during the start of the pandemic — the rise of home coffee brewers. The coconut water works really well with the espresso and gives enough sweetness to the drink. No need for sugar! Plus, the coconut water has health benefits. It offers hydration and has antioxidant properties. I really love this drink to the point that I launched this in one of the concepts I’m handling.”

Directions: Combine one shot of espresso and 180 ml cold coconut water together and pour over ice cubes. Garnish with buco strips or nata de coco.

Moringa Iced Tea

Chef-instructor Mira Cruz of Artisan Emporium capitalizes on moringa’s (malunggay) health benefits. Driven by her advocacy to serve artisanal products, this drink’s promise is not just about getting vitamin E, beta-carotene, calcium and potassium inside the body, but also making the experience of refreshing one’s thirsty soul with a healthy alternative.

“One of the world’s most useful tree is moringa or malunggay. You’ll see this perennial softwood vegetable tree growing effortlessly on almost any area and condition. Our childhood would not be complete without it — from the regular vegetable medley to the famous tinola, we all experienced being asked by our parents to eat something with its leaves as ingredient. While most of the kids back then resisted on eating such vitamin-filled vegetable, today, with its many forms and use, it is easier to actually offer and enjoy across ages.”

Directions: Boil two cups water, steep three to four Moringa Tea bags for five minutes. Add two more cups of cold water, pour into a pitcher and refrigerate for two to three hours. For sweeter Moringa Iced Tea, add one cup of raw honey to your tea brew in the pitcher. Add ½ cup of squeezed calamansi juice, a wedge of lemon and ice to create a refreshing and healthy iced tea.

Lanao Tablea Matcha Iskrambol

Chef-instructor Zhe Jacinto’s summer drink evokes happy memories of her childhood. She combines the local cacao with green tea for a unique flavor profile.

“I used to eat iskrambol (ice scramble) when I was a kid. When I first visited Mindanao, it was extremely hot so I thought of making something with a twist. Now that I am in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte doing a special project, I dedicate this drink to them.”

Directions: In a blender, mix together one piece of melted chocolate tablea, one cup crushed ice and ½ cup coco sugar. Transfer mixture in a desired drinking glass. In the same blender, mix together two tsp matcha powder, one cup crushed ice and coco sugar, then pour mixture onto the same tablea glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkled with matcha powder.