At a certain point in summer, your emotional support water bottle starts to feel a little uninspiring. The days are hotter, we are outside more, and between workouts, travel, beach days, and simply existing through a heat wave, staying hydrated suddenly requires a little more attention. The NIH recommends drinking extra fluids during hot weather, but that does not mean every sip has to come from the same bottle of lukewarm water you have been carrying around since breakfast.
This summer, we are mixing things up. There is cold pressed fruit hydration straight from the fridge, an electrolyte formula made for the days we are actually sweating, coconut water we will never stop buying, and even a beauty focused drink that makes hydration feel suspiciously close to skincare.
Consider this our current summer hydration rotation.
Pressed Hydration+ Watermelon Dragon Fruit
This is exactly what we want waiting in the fridge when the temperature starts climbing. Pressed Hydration+ Watermelon Dragon Fruit brings together coconut water, watermelon, dragon fruit, lemon, and lime with six essential electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and chloride. There is also 450 milligrams of L glutamine in the formula.
What makes it especially right for summer is that it drinks more like something you would genuinely crave on a hot afternoon than a traditional sports drink. It is bright, fruity, and best served cold. We would grab this after a workout, throw one in a beach cooler, or reach for it during the afternoon slump when plain water simply is not inspiring anyone.
Best for: Hot afternoons, post workout hydration, and anyone who wants their electrolytes to taste like summer.
Gnarly Hydrate
For the days when summer involves considerably more activity than lying beside a pool, we are reaching for Gnarly Hydrate. This one is firmly rooted in performance, with a full spectrum electrolyte formula designed around sustained activity and sweat. The current formula includes sodium, potassium, and magnesium, contains no artificial colors or sweeteners, and is NSF Certified for Sport.
That makes it the one we would pack for a long hike, outdoor workout, bike ride, or any summer adventure where you know you are going to come back considerably sweatier than you left. The flavors also make it considerably more fun than the typical serious sports nutrition formula, with options including Orange Pineapple, Raspberry, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemonade, Salted Margarita, and Piña Colada.
Best for: Hikes, outdoor workouts, long active days, and the people who actually earn their electrolytes.
Pique B•T Fountain
This is hydration for the person whose wellness routine has somehow merged completely with their skincare routine. Pique B•T Fountain combines electrolytes and minerals with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, positioning hydration as part of a broader beauty from within ritual.
We like it because it brings something completely different to the hydration conversation. This is not the packet we are necessarily grabbing before a marathon. It is the one we mix over ice in the morning because we already think about moisture everywhere else in our beauty routine, so why stop at the bathroom cabinet?
Best for: The beauty obsessed, morning wellness rituals, and anyone who likes their hydration with a side of skincare.
Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water
There are trends in hydration, and then there is coconut water, which we will happily keep coming back to every summer.
Harmless Harvest remains one of our refrigerator staples, whether we are drinking the original organic coconut water straight from the bottle or reaching for one of the brand’s other variations, including coconut water with watermelon and sparkling coconut water.
There is something about an ice cold bottle after being outside all day that just hits differently. We also love using it as the liquid base for smoothies or pouring it over plenty of ice with a squeeze of fresh lime when we want something that feels a little more intentional than opening another bottle of water.
Best for: Beach bags, morning walks, smoothies, and the coconut water loyalists among us.
Plant People Wonder Hydrate
Okay, technically we are not drinking this one. We are chewing it.
Plant People’s Wonder Hydrate takes the electrolyte category in a completely different direction with a sugar free, lychee flavored gummy. The formula includes electrolyte minerals such as magnesium and potassium, along with vitamin C and prebiotic fiber.
We would not swap these in for actual fluid intake, obviously, but as an addition to a summer routine, the format is undeniably convenient. No shaker bottle. No powder mysteriously accumulating at the bottom of your tote. Just a hydration adjacent supplement you can keep at your desk or throw into a carry on.
And frankly, we appreciate any wellness product that understands we do not always want another powder.
Best for: Travel, handbags, supplement maximalists, and anyone officially over mixing things into water.
Loonen
And then there are the days when what we really want is just very, very good water.
Loonen takes a more considered approach to bottled water, starting with spring sourced water that is filtered, tested, and bottled exclusively in glass. The brand currently offers both still and sparkling versions.
We particularly like the sparkling bottles for summer dinners, long lunches, and those late afternoons when we want something cold and fizzy without opening another functional beverage. Add citrus, fresh mint, or cucumber and suddenly drinking water feels significantly less like a task.
Best for: The dinner table, poolside lunches, and anyone whose preferred beverage aesthetic is very nice European hotel.