With BBQs being planned and outdoor events at their peaks refreshment is important to consider. For those of you old enough for alcohol beer is probably the chosen drink to go along with BBQ. Gourmet magazine has eight great choices for light summer beers. For something a little more festive you could also try the Blue Hawaii, or a Berry Rose Sangria which are more in keeping with the color scheme. And for the non-alcoholics Lemonade is the classic summer drink. Food blog Smitten Kitchen has featured a nice watermelon lemonade. Click the links for recipes or just click more.

via: Gourmet, Epicurious, Smitten Kitchen

Berry Rose Sangria

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup crème de cassis
• 1 1/2 cups assorted berries such as blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries
• 1 (750-ml) bottle chilled dry rosé wine
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Put berries into a heatproof pitcher. Bring sugar, water, and crème de cassis just to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour syrup into heatproof pitcher and let stand 5 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and stir mixture well. Chill, covered, until ready to serve. Serve over ice.

Blue Hawaii

In the container of a blender blend together 1 1/4 ounces each of light rum and pineapple juice, 1 ounce each of blue Curacao and lemon juice, a small cube of fresh pineapple, and crushed ice. Pour the drink into a punch glass and garnish it with a cherry and a small wedge of fresh pineapple. Makes 1 drink.

Watermelon Lemonade

Makes enough to fill two glasses with ice cubes; we quadrupled it to fill a pitcher. We already need more.

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh watermelon puree, strained through a coarse strainer to remove seeds
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) simple syrup
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) cold water

Stir it all together and serve over ice. Garnish it with a thin watermelon or lemon wedge, if you’re feeling fancy.

Spritzy variation: I have never met a beverage I didn’t think would taste better bubbly, thus, if you’re looking for a spritzier version of this, swap one-third (1/4 cup) or more of the water with seltzer or sparkling water.

Boozy variation: My husband thinks this would taste even better with a splash of vodka. I am not one to argue.