I buy pomegranate juice and severely water it down (10:1 - ish). I find it refreshing and not too sweet. If you want soda, you can use sparkling water instead of tap.
I make a killer pitcher of drinks yesterday.
1 bag of frozen raspberries, juice of 5 limes, 1 cup sugar, 6 cups water.
Put it all in a pot on the stove to steep for 15 min and strain through a fine wire mesh or cheese cloth. It came out great. It’s maybe a little watery for some so you could cut back on the water but it’s very tasty, not too sweet and really refreshing in this hot weather.
Ice water with FRESH lemon juice–really, you won’t believe the difference fresh squeezed lemon juice is from jarred—and from those cut-in-the-morning-served-in-the-evening lemon slices in restaurants.
My go-tos are either ice water with a little juice in it <like cranberry> or, more likely, any of the sugar-free powdered drink mixes they sell at the store. Wide variety of flavors, can add just a little bit so it’s watered down if that’s how you like it. It’s how I like it, and works great.
Just don’t mistake ‘marguerita lime’ for ‘lime’. I looooooove me some limeade, but the marguerita lime flavor tastes like…yeah. Marguerita. Gross. Unless you’re into that dirt-flavored kinda thing.
My primary beverage of choice these days is lemonade made with lemon juice mixed with water and stevia to taste - I usually just make single glasses by eye. For lemon juice, I prefer Walmart brand to the RealLemon brand, not only for the price, but also the taste. For stevia, I buy a big old box of the packets of Truvia from BJ’s.
No sugar, nice dose of VitaminC, and much more thirst-quenching than most other drinks. Alcohol of your choice can be added when you feel the need to put a little edge on it.
I like San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water, because the bubbles are extremely fine. A glass of this on ice plus wedges of key limes (or “limons”, if you buy a net bag of them in a Mexican market) is terrific. I suppose you could also flavor it with a small splash of just about any full-flavored fruit juice.
How about iced coffee? Decaf if you’re watching your caffeine, and sweetened with Splenda or Truvia. Mmm, sounds good right about now.
A wide variety of suggestions here. I think you’ll need to experiment to find something you like. Me? Iced tea. Strong. No sugar. No lemon. Everyone is different and has a preference. As a child, my family and I drank iced tea at dinner, but Cokes (the original formula) in the evening. (I think this is why my teeth are in such bad shape.) Now I drink bottled water, iced tea (as above), ginger ale occasionally. I think iced tea is something that grows on you. If you want to experiment with the other suggestions here, I suggest you start out slow and go slow as it may take a few weeks to get used to a new drink. For instance, start with plain iced tea (strong), then go to flavored teas, herbal teas, etc.
Agree with the iced tea and fresh squeezed lemonade suggestions. A can of San Pellegrino Arancita (orange – it also comes in lemon and blood orange) is my occasional splurge beverage.
I have become quite the devotée of bubbly water. I used to haul in two-liter bottles of seltzer, but then I got a Soda Stream for home and another for office. Sometimes I’ll add some cranberry juice cocktail concentrate when I can find it, or dark chocolate syrup. But I find the plain stuff quite refreshing and perfect with nearly all meals.
If you can afford the stuff bottled-at-source, I think San Pellegrino is my favorite.