Too Many Cooks: Our Favorite Iced Beverages

You'll be hearing from the staff at FOOD52 every week in Too Many Cooks, our group column in which we pool our answers to questions about food, cooking, life, and more.

Beating the heat can take some serious work, and sometimes a jump in the pool or a tub full of ice cubes just doesn’t cut it. And what can you do when you’re out and about and don’t have access to either? Not melt, hopefully. The best answer is usually found in a cold drink, with the one-two punch of hydration and a nice cooling effect. To prepare for the humid days ahead, we asked our team:

What's your iced beverage of choice for hot summer days?

Do you crave a good peach daiquiri on the beach, or prefer a cool lemonade after work? Tell us in the comments!

Catherine: Being a Southerner (and a person with tastebuds), I will always opt for an Arnold Palmer (or, if you're at Chick-fil-A, a half-and-half). The sweet tea plays perfectly with the tart lemonade -- and you've got to have plenty of crushed ice for crunching, of course.

More: Stock up on iced drink supplies to stay cool all summer long.

Posie: I'm in a very involved relationship with cold seltzer water at the moment. Preferably with lemon or lime.

Stephanie: Root beer float! Does that count? I love a classic vanilla ice cream and root beer float.

More: Make your own ice cream float in just 2 steps, or try a boozy beer float. 

Jason: I'm in a pretty hardcore beer-mosa phase right now.

Jojo: You can generally find me alternating between white wine spritzers and Crispin Cider.  Both are incredibly refreshing!

Bryce: I’m also an Arnold Palmer fan. I’ll take 7 liters of Grady’s Cold Brew, or if I’m boozing it up, I’ll take a flirtini, which is Champagne, vodka, and pineapple juice. Whoa.

More: Learn how to make cold brew coffee at home.

Gabriella P.: I've started to drink Prosecco à la Murray and it's the best.

Erin: First and foremost: grapefruit radlers, which my brother and I call "breakfast beer" and are totally MADE for sitting on a porch in a rocking chair. Second: shaken lemonade, county fair-style. Way too much lemon, not that much sugar, and a ton of ice. And, if I have a straw, I'm a sucker for Mexi-Coke. Put the straw in the bottle and battle to keep it submerged.

More: Get some fancy glass straws to go with your icy drink.

Christina: I went on a real shandy kick last week, and I think that’s going to continue.

Merrill: Iced lattes, strawberry juice, and mint and citrus iced tea! For boozy drinks, I love Champagne cocktails, iced rosé, and Dark 'n Stormies.

Michael: My go-to hot weather beverage is bitters and soda. I love to shake the bitters over the ice and then pour the soda over, briefly forming a pale pink head of refreshment. If I'm drinking, I like an ice-cold glass of Lillet Blanc with an orange peel.

Lauren L.: I make a batch of cold brew coffee weekly, and make a new batch of cold brew tea every two days (green tea + hibiscus is my current jam). Cold brewing is the lazy (or busy? I mean busy, clearly) person's way to elevate everything.

More: Improve your favorite drink by making the perfect ice for it.

Marian: I'm on team spritz, but it must be in a large wine glass, with plenty of ice and no soda water.

Alp: Micheladas -- not one of the nonsense variations with Clamato, but the elemental form: Lime juice and hot sauce over ice, cover with lager. Salted rim optional.

Lauren M.: An iced chai latte is my jam, especially for an afternoon pick-me-up. I also love elderflower with anything, including gin and Prosecco drinks (if not both together).

Amanda: Bubble beer! You can fake it at home by putting a bottle of beer in your freezer until it's just about to explode, then you crack it open and it'll have little bits of ice in it. Don't you feel refreshed just thinking about this?

Tell us: What are your favorite cold drinks for a hot day?