What better way to beat back the heat than with a refreshing summer beverage? Of course your selections are many, from ice water to ice cream shakes to everything between. While H2O is your #1 hydration choice, sometimes the taste buds yearn for a tangier splash.

Though you get more fiber when you eat the entire fruit or vegetable, you can take advantage of summer’s ripest crops by juicing produce into a glass of sun-kissed punch:

• Try a luscious cocktail of watermelon, lime, and antioxidant-rich raspberries to deliver a combo kick of vitamin C, vitamin, A, and cancer-fighting lycopene. Or blend up a berry blizzard of your choice for a boost of heart-healthy flavonoids.

• Enjoy the zesty, yet nutrient-charged, blast of a virgin Bloody Mary by combining tomatoes, celery, lemon juice, and a dash of cayenne. Give yourself a crisp vegetarian overhaul with dark greens like kale mixed with parsley and parsnip. Add carrots to any vegetable juice to bump up beta-carotene and sweeten the taste.

• Marry fruits and veggies to enhance flavor and synergize nutrition power. Try apples, carrots, and celery. Mingle pineapple with radishes. Mix grapes or pears with spinach.

Be a trailblazer with creative combinations. Consider the flavors you enjoy in any tossed salad or fruit cocktail, and try blending them into a vibrant drink.