The Best Alcoholic Drink in Hot Weather

The sun is high and you'd like to share a drink or two with friends. There are several creative and refreshing options to choose from. Just remember that both heat and alcohol can lead to or exacerbate dehydration; the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) recommends drinking water and juice along with consuming mineral-rich foods while drinking to avoid dehydration.

Lagers are among America's favorite beers. Light in color and smooth and crisp on the tongue, lagers are more refreshing than dark and heavy stouts and porters, especially in the middle of summer. A fun summer variation on the lager is shandy, which, at least in America, is lager that has been combined with lemonade. During the summer months, commercially made shandy is readily available.

Pale ales are a great summer drink for the "hop-head" in all of us (hops are a flavoring and aroma agent in beer that are prominent in pale ales). Many also enjoy India pale ales for that extra hop kick, but these may be too heavy and have too high an alcohol content to be enjoyed mid-day in summer.

Hefeweizen and cola is another popular option. This German treat makes something of a beer float that is quite refreshing; just be careful when you're pouring, as this mixture quickly forms a tall, frothy head.

Some wine drinkers avoid rosé altogether and are shocked to hear that many French people enjoy a glass of rosé on ice. Even if rosé has never been your favorite, a nicer rosé with large ice cubes is very refreshing when the sun is at its highest, and, since, rosé has an alcohol typically lower than many other wines, you might even be able to indulge a little more.

Part cocktail, part fruit salad, Pimm's is the taste of summer. Pimm's No. 1, the most readily available variety of Pimm's, is a brown liquor based on gin that has become the official drink of Wimbledon. Though it doesn't taste too special on its own, when combined with lemon-lime soda or lemonade (or both) and sliced fruit (lemons, oranges, apples, mashed strawberries and, surprisingly though indispensably, cucumber) and mint leaves, Pimm's might soon become your only summer cocktail. Though some can't stop themselves from diving right in for their first cup, Pimm's tastes best after it has sat with the fruit and mint--an hour or more is ideal, but 10 minutes is sufficient.