Now that we’ve got a fridge in the hangar loft we’re building, I told Martin, “We need to fill it with summer!” Insert ice cream bars in the freezer, lots of ice, a bit of watermelon to snack on, and our newest favorite summer beverage:

A couple of months ago, I was completely indifferent about ice. Living in Europe will do that to a girl. I once had a few ice cubes in a restaurant drink over there. Yeah only once.

Now every time someone need a little breather between sanding or gluing, you can hear the sound of a tray of ice cubes crackling. Summer is always a little slow to arrive here. But each time I hear that sound, I know: summer made it to the mountains!

To make your own ginger iced tea, you need:

1. iced tea
2. ginger syrup

The syrup is easy to make. Combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil. Thinly slice half a cup of ginger. Remove boiling mixture from heat and add ginger. Let sit for 7 or 8 minutes. Strain and cool. Then refrigerate.

In a glass, combine ice, 1 tsp of ginger syrup, and tea for a subtle, sweet flavored tea. Add more syrup as desired.

Next we want to try creating raspberry and peach syrups. They’re so easy to make at the tire house and transport in an old peanut butter jar.

What’s your favorite summer beverage? Anything you think we should all try? With ice or without?