With highs hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, or say over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it goes without saying that a mouthful of refreshing drinks is pretty effective in preventing dehydration during the summer. What cooling drinks are trending among young Chinese this summer？

Coconut-based fusion drinks

Demand for coconut-based fusion drinks has continued to rise steadily in China since 2020 and is still a talking point this summer. A sip of fresh coconut water dressed with silky coconut jelly is definitely a huge relief from the soaring heat and brings beach vacation vibes as well. Besides, coconut milk is easy to pair with all kinds of fruits and add to drinks like coffee, tea and sparkling water to enhance the experience. A consumer would never get tired of tasting new products. At last, with low calories and naturally mild sweetness, plant-based beverages are highly received by health-conscious young consumers.

Sugar-free artificially sweetened carbonated drinks

The trend of sugar-free or less sugar is also evident in the carbonated beverage industry. Healthier new products, such as sugar-free, artificially sweetened sparkling drinks, have been gradually taking the place of "fat otaku happy water," another name for colas. Indeed, who would turn their backs on a tin of fizzy and diet drinks under the scorching sun?   

Fruit tea

Beyond commonly seen summer fruits such as watermelon, grapes and peaches, fruits like gooseberry, guava and wampee are a breath of fresh air that brings vitality to fruit tea menu lists this summer. From one liter to five liters, colorful fruit tea with visible pieces of fruits in ultra large barrel-packaging has become a trend on social media as it hits young consumers’ need for social sharing. Creative consumers' sharing on reusing buckets after guzzling down the drinks generates media exposure again.

DIY drinks

High-end, fancy-looking blend drinks don't come cheap. Some penny-pinching youth turn to look to their refrigerator and make good use of juice, carbonated beverage, fruits, coffee, tea, you name it, to make low-sugar, low-fat, new-style cooling drinks. Lifestyle-sharing social media platform Xiaohongshu already has tons of posts on at-home recipes.

In a word, a cup of staid cooling drink for summer is not enough to tickle the taste buds of young consumers because of their rapidly-changing preferences and lightning-fast pace of social trends. Healthy, creative and cheap are attractive points for these core patrons of purchases.