What to Drink at a Picnic: Homemade Lemonade, Cold Brew & Cocktails

The best picnic staple is homemade lemonade: the juice of 4–6 lemons, 100–150 g sugar, and 1 litre of cold water. It's best to dissolve the sugar as a simple syrup first (equal parts sugar and hot water, briefly simmered and cooled) — in ice-cold water, granulated sugar won't dissolve properly and will just settle at the bottom.

Adjust the ratio to your taste: more lemon for a sharper tang, more syrup for a sweeter, mellower flavour. Top up with chilled water or soda — the bubbles liven the drink up — and add ice to individual glasses rather than the pitcher, or it'll water the lemonade down.

You can jazz it up in three different ways:

• Zest: a strip of grated lemon or orange zest (just the coloured layer, not the bitter white pith) adds aroma without any extra sugar.

• Fruit: slices of strawberry, blueberries, or raspberries dropped straight into the glass add both colour and flavour.

• Spice: a slice of ginger, a vanilla pod, or a pinch of cinnamon gives the flavour a warmer edge.

Herbs belong in lemonade bruised, not torn: gently press 6–8 mint or lemon balm leaves between your palms or against the bottom of the pitcher to release their oils without turning them bitter. Add them to the lemonade, let steep for 10–15 minutes, then strain. Mint gives the most refreshing kick, while lemon balm adds a subtle lemony note. The same trick works in the cucumber version below.

A homemade syrup turns into lemonade in seconds: mix 1 part syrup with 8–10 parts cold water or soda, then add ice. Elderflower syrup is a classic in Czech households — growers pick the elderflower blossoms on dry days in late May and June, once they're fully open and fragrant, and never wash them, so as not to lose their aroma. A cold-pressed watermelon syrup, meanwhile, keeps its fresh summer colour and flavour intact.

Cucumber lemonade is the most refreshing of them all, since cucumber is almost entirely water. It's made by blending and straining a regular cucumber, then finishing it with lemon, mint, and a touch of syrup; the result is clean-tasting, barely sweet, and incredibly easy to drink — it even works with no sugar at all. You'll find the exact ratios and method in a separate recipe.

Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12–24 hours — it extracts slowly and gently, giving you a smooth coffee without any sharp bitterness. Studies suggest cold brew contains fewer acidic compounds and tastes less bitter and more floral than hot-brewed coffee; its caffeine content is roughly comparable, not two or three times higher as is sometimes claimed.

It's especially great for picnics because you can make it a day ahead, and once bottled and sealed, it stays cold all afternoon. Handy trick: freeze some cold brew into ice cube trays and serve it with these 'coffee ice cubes' — your drink stays cold without getting watered down. If you don't have time to steep it overnight, a quicker cold coffee option is iced frothed caffè latte.

Iced tea and kombucha are light, low-sugar drinks that refresh better at a picnic than a sugary lemonade. Hibiscus iced tea has a deep red colour and a pleasant tartness, while kombucha adds gentle fizz and a tangy, slightly fermented flavour. Both travel beautifully chilled in a sealed bottle.

A mocktail gives kids and drivers the full cocktail experience without a drop of alcohol. A virgin mojito takes just a minute: lime juice, bruised mint, a pinch of brown sugar, topped up with soda over ice. For something more festive, try a pink ginger mocktail — it looks and tastes just like a real aperitif.

Smoothies and fresh juices double as a drink and a snack — they're more filling than lemonade. Strawberry-mint smoothie is a summer classic, while a carrot and orange combo is, according to food composition databases, a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. Make them in a chilled bottle or flask right before you head out so they stay fresh; thicker smoothies also keep their freshness longer when chilled.

For the adults, the best picnic drinks are light, long, and refreshing. An Aperol spritz comes together with 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, and 1 part soda water poured over a glass full of ice, garnished with an orange slice. A mojito needs white rum, muddled lime with sugar, mint, ice, and soda water. For a floral or strawberry-basil twist, add a spoonful of herb syrup to a gin and tonic.

You can keep picnic drinks cold with three things: pre-chilling, insulation, and ice that doesn't end up mixed into the drink itself.

• Pre-chill everything. A cooler box doesn't create cold, it only holds onto it — don't put room-temperature drinks straight into it. Chill bottles in the fridge overnight, freeze a few solid, and use those in place of ice.

• Insulate. A flask or double-walled bottle keeps its contents cold for hours; boost a cooler box with gel packs or frozen PET bottles.

• Keep ice separate from your drinks. Add ice to individual glasses once you've arrived, not to the pitcher, or you'll dilute the drink. A handful of salt mixed into the ice in your cooler will drop the temperature even further.

• Transport safely. Wrap each glass bottle in a tea towel — it cushions knocks and soaks up any leaks. Pack glasses upright in a sturdy divided basket so they don't rattle around on the way.