5 Cold Drinks to Help You Survive the Heat Wave

We Orange County folk are spoiled with the near perfect climate, so when the weather upsurges north of 75 degrees like it's going to this week, we call it a heat wave and go into major survival mode. Whether it's hitting the beach, spraying our faces with a water-fan all day long, or indulging in cold drinks, we'll do anything – seriously, anything – to keep ourselves cool.

If you do end up choosing the cold-drink route, there are several that do an exceptional job at alleviate high-temperature woes. Each of them are delicious and cold, and here they are in no particular order:

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Sea Cream Jasmine Tea – 7 Leaves Café (Garden Grove)

7 Leaves Café's sea cream jasmine tea is mystically calming, which comes in handy when heat and sweat subconsciously aggravate temper. The tea consists of a smooth and faintly salty sea cream that lies atop a saccharine blend of jasmine tea. The tea gives off a sweet aroma that consequently leaves you feeling tranquil. If you ever need mood medicine for annoyingly hot days, this tea is the remedy.

Pina Colava – Cove Bar at Disneyland (Anaheim)

Disneyland trips during drought season are a pain, but, luckily, magic's not too far off. Try the pina colava at California Adventure's Cove Bar and you'll be recovering from the warmth in no time. The drink is a twist on the classic pina colada containing Stoli Razberi Vodka, pina colada mix, and raspberry puree. It's fruity, tropical, and light on the alcohol, so if you thought you couldn't get any happier at the happiest place on earth, you thought wrong.
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Iced Toffee Latte – Alta Coffee (Newport Beach)

For fans of borderline-dessert drinks, Alta Coffee's iced toffee latte is a spotless combination of energizing coffee and post-dinner dessert. The drink is near perfect: iced coffee topped with a cloud-like mountain of whipped cream, bits of crumbly toffee pieces, and a trail of chocolate syrup. The first sip is like drinking a cookie, but once you get beyond the cream, toffee, and chocolate (if you're not the type to blend your drinks) you're, alas, left with the main course: the coffee.

Matcha and North End Cocoa Floats – Tranquil Tea Lounge (Fullerton)

Replace your usual can of A&W root beer with green tea or cocoa-flavored pu-erh tea to pour over vanilla ice cream and you get Tranquil Tea Lounge's Matcha Float and North End Cocoa Float. Both green tea and cocoa pu-erh are not too sweet, so when mixed with vanilla ice cream, you get a pleasant blend of sugary creaminess. The floats, like Alta Coffee's iced toffee latte, are borderline dessert-drinks — meaning they'll give you an excuse to have dessert anytime of the day.

Cold-pressed Juices – Birdie Bowl and Juicery (Costa Mesa)

For those in favor of healthy refreshments, cold-pressed juices from Birdie Bowl and Juicery are top caliber in Orange County's growing juicing scene. Though Birdie is mainly known for its acai and pitaya bowls, their bright-hued cold-pressed juices like the Green Cooler (Granny Smith apple, cilantro, cucumber) and Minted Melon (watermelon, cucumber, peppermint oil) are so delicious you might forget they're healthy too. Though their prices are on the higher end and cold-pressed juices generally last only 72 hours from date of purchase, the quality is so high you can taste it.

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