One of summer's greatest pleasures is sipping an icy, refreshing beverage in the sunshine -- or the nearest patch of shade. Summery cocktails and punches aplenty are finally ready for their seasonal debut, and just about all of them could do with a bit of salt.

The 1.25-litre soft drink has been an Australian institution for decades. Order a pizza, grab a bottle of Pepsi, Coke or Fanta to match that large Hawaiian. Hit the supermarket, stock up on lemonade, tonic water and ginger ale for the long weekend. Sadly, much like the elves of Middle-Earth, the 1.25-litre is, gradually, departing these lands, at least in the case of Schweppes.

The weather is heating up already and finding ways to keep cool in the heat is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Food and drink can help to keep you cool during these hot months, including this tip on chilling drinks with melons.

Adding frozen fruit to cocktails to keep them cool is a pretty common practice, but some fruits are simply more chill than others. For fruity cubes that will actually keep your beverage cold for an appreciable amount of time, you want to reach for melon.

Lemonade and iced tea are two refreshing beverages and when combined, they get even more so. The bitterness of black tea balances the sweetness of the lemonade, creating a thirst-quenching beverage with a little bit of a caffeine boost. The usual method of making requires the mixing of two beverages, but you can streamline the whole process by simply brewing the tea in the lemonade.

Happy weekend, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we're taking the already refreshing gin & tonic and making it even fresher, if you can imagine such a thing.

I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that you've been buying hot chocolate mixes unnecessarily, but the good news is that you're going to learn two different methods for making rich, drinkable chocolate for cosy cold days and you're going to do it with stuff you probably already have in your kitchen.

The only thing more divine than floating around in a pool on a hot summer's day is floating around in a pool with a refreshing beverage. But once you're settled in your doughnut shaped floatie, the last thing you want to do is get out to refresh your beverage. Luckily, The Kitchn has a cheap and easy solution for this summertime sadness: All you need is some pool noodles.

I'm usually not a huge fan of putting carbon dioxide in my coffee, but I'm willing to make some exceptions. For example, cold brew on nitro is great; the bubbles are nice and small and give the coffee a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Plus, I've tried some fancy coffee soda water things and found that they mostly just cause oral confusion -- see exhibit A below, which was the most perplexing, yet delicious thing I've ever put in my mouth.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple, yet delicious libations. Today I'm feeling quite springy, and wanted to create a cocktail that's as easy on the eyes as it is delicious.

Putting cubes of frozen coffee in your iced coffee -- instead of boring water -- isn't exactly a new coffee "hack", but there are ways to make them a little more interesting.

Juice is liquid lollies. Sure, it has a few more vitamins than your average can of Coke, but it also has more sugar. Your days of pretending it's healthy are over: official health bodies have finally found the guts to tell us to stop giving juice to babies.

It's been a rough news week, and it's only Thursday. Fortunately, though, today's raging controversy is about tea. Is it OK to microwave it? Is it better to microwave it? Australian research says yes, while tea aficionados worldwide recoil in horror.

Smoothies are a convenient and portable filling meal, but if you tend to drink a lot of smoothies, preparation and clean-up can be a hassle. Here's a time-saving method: pre-make and freeze your smoothie ingredients in muffin tins for easy, breezy smoothies all week.

In this DIY age, it's tempting to try and make your own everything, from ricotta to almond milk. That's all well and good, but some projects just aren't worth the time and effort, and some of those projects are non-dairy milks.

When you try to blend sturdier fruits and vegetables into a smoothie, you're often left with chunks that can block up your straw. This smoothie prep trick will save you the hassle.

Summer is on the horizon, which means it's time to start enjoying seasonal beverages -- like sangria! To give this tasty pitcher of boozy goodness a makeover, just swap wine for apple cider.

If you enjoy a good cup of tea, but don't like it too strong, this DIY gadget will make sure you never forget to take the tea bag out.

It's only Thursday, but this week has been a doozy, and I'm guessing one or more of us needs a drink. To get the good stuff in you quickly without sacrificing flavour, try one of these five easy-to-make alcoholic beverages.

Nothing feels more cozy than a hot, steaming mug of apple cider. To make a beverage that drinks like pie in a glass, just add in a little coconut milk.