Summer Heat On Ice

Whether you've just run five kilometers in the blazing heat or lumbered between climate-controlled office and air-conditioned home, nothing is more welcome on a sweltering day than a cool drink in a tall glass. Of course, the best thing to drink in the heat is water.  When exposed to extreme temperatures -- very hot or very cold -- our bodies use more water just to maintain their normal temperature.  In hot weather , the average adult loses about 10 cups, or 2.5 liters, of water a day. Many of us reach for lemonade, iced tea or a soft drink, but there are more exotic thirst-quenching alternatives from around the world.

Some are salty, others sweet, and they're made with milk, tea, coffee, fruit juice, even yogurt or rice milk.

There are drinks such as shikhye, ginger-flavored rice milk, lightly sweetened, to beat the heat.  Or an old-fashioned Korean favorite called "soo jeong gwa", a cinnamon and persimmon punch that was steeped for hours before serving.

In Tokyo children beg their mothers for money to buy "ramune", a bubbly bottled drink they'd stuff marbles into and shake madly to create fizz.  The grownups all the while were sipping iced green tea.

In India , where the temperature soars to 40 degrees C, salty drinks are considered the most thirst-quenching.  There's the traditional yogurt-based lassi, served salt, flavored with cumin or coriander, or sweet, with rosewater and pistachio nuts.  Fresh lime sodas, with a pinch of salt or a hint of sugar are sold at roadside stands throughout India .

The old-fashioned Polish refresher called "kwas" is a decidedly acquired taste; it's the color of prune juice, made from black bread soaked in water with yeast and sugar. "Better than cola".  It's naturally carbonated, not too sweet.  All you need is one glass and you're good for hours and hours.

Here are a few of my favorite cold non-alcoholic drinks from around the world, none quite so unusual as "Baranska's Kwas":

Moroccan Iced Mint Tea

Moroccans drink sweet tea all day, every day, in little ornamental glasses served on elaborate trays.  Usually it's hot, but it's also refreshing served cold.  Sometimes lemon or grated gingerroot are added.

one quart boiling water

2 tablespoons green tea

1 bunch fresh mint leaves, sprigs intact, pl