11 Costco Drinks You Need To Sip This Summer

Top three things to do when the temperature starts to rise: hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more. It's a myth that you need to drink a gallon of water every day, though. Plain water may be the nutritionist's choice for best hydrating beverage because it's cheap and doesn't contain the types of ingredients that they frown on, but there are plenty of other beverages that can hydrate you. Nearly all drinks hydrate to some extent, and you're more likely to stay hydrated if it's more of a pleasure than a chore. In other words, it's time to stop by Costco and stock up on beverages that appeal to you.

The drinks here include sparkling water (flavored and unflavored) and fruit juices as well as iced tea. There are also coffee drinks, energy drinks, and sodas since these can also help you keep up on your liquid intake while giving you a little lift. We've also included mocktails for safe celebrations and hangover-free fun in the sun. Yes, Costco will insist that you buy a large quantity of any items since that is the retailer's modus operandi, but they're all shelf-stable. What's more, even solo shoppers will likely get through a fair amount of these tasty beverages before the next Costco run.

To hydrate in tropical style, pick up a jug of SunBerry Farms Organic Guava Nectar. What makes it a nectar instead of a juice? Guavas do. These sweet and tangy fruits taste kind of like a pear crossed with a strawberry and are too dense for juicing. Instead they are pureed, sweetened, and diluted with water to make them a drinkable consistency (which is basically the definition of nectar).

Purchase a 128-ounce jug of SunBerry Farms Organic Guava Nectar at Costco for $7.66.

Mangoes have also been given the nectar treatment, and Langers Mango Nectar likewise comes in gallon-sized plastic jugs that can be repurposed as paint trays or scoops. (These are just a few of our genius ways to reuse Costco containers.) Before you get to that point, though, you can have fun thinking of new ways to use the nectar — in mocktails, cocktails, sangria, or even as a meat marinade.

Purchase a 128-ounce jug of Langers Mango Nectar at Costco for $7.25.

On days when temperatures reach into the 90s (or above!), starting the day with a cup of brewed coffee may not seem so appealing. A refreshing can of Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee, however, can hit the spot no matter how hot. It's also effortless to prepare (just pop the top). There's no need for a cup, but if you want to be fancy you can pour it in a glass over ice.

Purchase a dozen 11-ounce cans of Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee at Costco for $19.28.

Plain water can quench your thirst, but fizzy water is much more fun to drink. If you're partial to the unflavored kind, mineral water (which contains actual minerals) offers a more complex flavor experience than club soda, and Costco carries a budget-priced imported variety. True to its name, Kirkland Signature Italian Sparkling Mineral Water was in fact produced in that country. Try it alone, as a drink mixer, or splash some into your scrambled eggs to make them extra fluffy.

Purchase a 24-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles of Kirkland Signature Italian Sparkling Mineral Water at Costco for $20.42.

A pitcher of iced tea is a handy thing to have on hand in summertime, but it does take up a lot of refrigerator real estate. Iced tea from a powdered mix isn't the greatest, but Korean import Balance Grow Honey, Citron, and Ginger Tea Concentrate makes for a flavorful space-saving option. Dissolve a few teaspoons in a glass of cold water and your iced tea is ready to drink. Each jar can make up to 100 glasses, so you might be set for the rest of the summer.

Purchase a 70.55-ounce jar of Balance Grow Honey, Citron, and Ginger Tea Concentrate at Costco for $12.47.

There's a scientific reason why lemonade tastes extra-refreshing in summertime — lemon juice is one of the best sialagogues, which is a fancy word that means "mouthwatering" (as in, something that causes your saliva to flow). As saliva evaporates, it has a slight cooling effect on the body. That being said, too-sweet lemonade can be cloying. As an alternative, Costco offers a variety pack of three sparkling Spindrift lemonades, each one tart, fizzy, flavorful, and entirely sugar-free. Two are sweetened with nothing more than fruit puree (cherry for the pink lemonade and strawberry for the strawberry lemonade), while the lemon limeade isn't sweetened at all.

Purchase a 30-pack of 12-ounce cans with the Spindrift Lemonade Sparkling Water Variety Pack at Costco for $21.55.

A number of snacks are getting a patriotic makeover for America's 250th birthday, and among them is an assortment of iced teas from The Ryl Co. The Red, White, and Brewed Pack contains three different varieties of stevia-sweetened iced tea: raspberry, Southern sweet, and Rocket Pop. In addition to sugar-free hydration, each can of tea provides 20% of your daily vitamin C.

Purchase the 15-count, 16-ounce can Ryl Co. Red, White, and Brewed Pack at Costco for $19.28.

Everybody seems to be proteinmaxxing these days, and soda companies are catching on to the trend. Joyburst is combining the trend with Semiquincentennial mania (such as it is) with its Icy Pop protein soda. As the image on the can implies, the flavor is inspired by a certain Cold War frozen treat-turned-4th of July staple. In addition to nostalgic flavor, each soda also provides 30 grams of protein.

Purchase a 15-count, 12-ounce can pack of Joyburst Icy Pop Protein Sodas at Costco for $11.32.

One of the great summertime paradoxes is that the same spicy foods that warm you up can also cool you down. Ginger and cayenne make you sweat, and as sweat evaporates it lowers your skin temperature. Also, the two flavors taste great when combined with lemon, pineapple, and apple juice in Suja Organic Ginger Love. The product is sweetened with stevia, so it's also sugar-free.

Purchase a six-pack of 10.5-ounce bottles of Suja Organic Ginger Love at Costco for $14.20.

If ghosts go on summer vacation before spooky season begins, what would they be drinking? Possibly the sugar-free energy drinks found in the Ghost Energy Summer Variety Pack. This selection consists of six cans of Cherry Limeade, six cans of Strawberry Splash, and eight cans of 'Merica Pop. (The last-named being Bomb Pop flavored.)

Purchase the 18-count, 16-ounce can Ghost Energy Summer Variety Pack at Costco for $30.96.

Summertime means outdoor fun, but if you're hosting a party make sure you have plenty of nonalcoholic beverages on hand. Excess booze consumption increases the likelihood of both accidents and heatstroke, but Recess Zero Proof Craft Mocktails can make for safer celebrations. The variety pack consists of cosmo, margarita, and paloma-flavored drinks; each one sweetened with agave and enhanced with adaptogens and guayusa.

Purchase the 15-count, 12-ounce can Recess Zero Proof Craft Mocktail Variety Pack at Costco for $29.50.