National Refreshment Day Date in the current year: July 25, 2024

According to Cambridge Dictionary, a refreshment is “a small amount of food and drink”. In the context of National Refreshment Day, however, the term refers to refreshing drinks that help to quench our thirst during the hot summer months.

One of the oldest and most popular refreshing drinks in the world is lemonade. Lemonade in its most traditional form consists of water, lemon juice, and a sweetener such as sugar, honey or simple syrup. In some countries, the carbonated version of the drink is more common than its old-fashioned, non-carbonated form.

A somewhat similar non-alcoholic beverage called agua fresca is popular in some countries of Latin America and parts of the United States. Aguas frescas are made by blending together water, sugar, pureed fruit, and other ingredients such as seeds, grains and even flowers. The most common fruits used to make aguas frescas include grape, guava, lemon, lime, mango, melon, orange, papaya, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, pitaya, prickly pear, raspberry, soursop, strawberry, tamarind, and watermelon.

Alcoholic drinks can be served as refreshments too. One of the most universally beloved refreshing cocktails is mojito. The classic mojito consists of just five ingredients (white rum, sugar or sugarcane juice, lime juice, soda water and mint) and lots of ice. Its combination of citrus, mint and ice is perfect for a hot summer day.

Punch is another great example of a refreshing drink. “Punch” is a broad term that encompasses a wide assortment of fruit- or fruit juice-based drinks, which may or may not contain alcohol. The drink is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls. Common punch ingredients include juice, fruit cubes or slices, still or carbonated water, flavored soft drinks, sugar or another sweetener, and powdered drink mixes. Alcoholic punches usually contain rum, but other distilled spirits can be used as well.

National Refreshment Day was created in 2015 by the Traveler Beer Company, a craft beer producer based in Berlington, Vermont. Although the company has since gone out of business, National Refreshment Day lives on. Since July is typically the hottest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it is not surprising that a July holiday focused on refreshing drinks has caught on.

The best way to celebrate National Refreshment Day is to enjoy your favorite refreshing drink, be it lemonade, soda, juice, iced tea or coffee, cucumber water, beer, hard seltzer, sangria, or mojito. If your refreshment of choice contains alcohol, don’t forget to also drink enough water to stay hydrated. Other ways to celebrate the holiday include trying out new lemonade or cocktail recipes, coming up with your own creative refreshing beverages, and sharing the photos of your cold drink on social media with the hashtags #NationalRefreshmentDay and #RerfreshmentDay to spread the word.