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Get creative with summer coolers

Published:Thursday | July 4, 2013 | 12:00 AM
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Getting creative with summer coolers also means utilising a variety of eye-catching colours. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer
They are just about ready for their popsicle treat
Students of St Aloysius Primary School show off their summer coolers just before they got down to quenching their thirst in the mid-afternoon heat.
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It is summer time and, in a few days, children will officially say goodbye to another school year. For them, this means more time to have fun, eat and drink, leaving parents to come up with creative ways to keep them entertained, well-fed and hydrated.

There is no denying that the heat is on in full force and staying hydrated is on everyone's mind. Making home-made drinks and coolers are some of the creative ways to ensure that the little ones are kept cool during these humid months.

Home-made summer coolers are a big appeal to children because they are tasty, and because of the variety of flavours and colours they can be made in.

Recently, Virginia Dare, manufacturers of food extracts, flavours, syrups and colours, teamed up with Food to demonstrate how parents can become creative in making summer coolers. What did they come up with? Flavoured popsicles and 'suck sucks', which are really frozen flavoured drinks in a bag.

Of course, children can be the worst and best critics, so students of the St Aloysius Primary School were our taste testers. Here is what they had to say.

Comments

  • So fruity and nice!
  • Tastes so delicious ... I like it.
  • When you taste it, you just want more and more.
  • It tastes really good and I love the colour.
  • Mine has a mango flavour and I love it!
  • Delicious!
  • Tastes very good and I really like the sweet flavour.
  • It has a slight sour taste, which I like.

Now that it has passed the ultimate test, here are the recipes for some summer coolers you can try at home, courtesy of Virginia Dare. Your children will love you for it.

With several syrup and cordial flavours to choose from, you can personalise and create your summer cooler of choice.

Recipes

One part syrup/cordial to five cups water

Suck suck

Use mixture to fill small transparent plastic bags. Freeze and enjoy.

Ice pops

Use mixture in ice pops trays. Freeze and enjoy.

Sky juice

Pour in a cup syrup or cordial directly on shaved or crushed ice. Add straw and enjoy a cool drink

Flavoured ice cubes

Use mixture to fill ice trays. The cubes may be used in your favourite drink. Use ice trays with fun shapes to create your own designs.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com