8.12.25 | Electrolyte Kool-Aid Test

I am enjoying this past week's cooler weather, a respite from the seething beating heat of summer. I won't get my hopes up though, I know the summer isn't done with me yet, but these cool breezes make me dream of fall, pumpkin beers and going outside and not immediately being drenched in sweat.

The kitchen has been particularly hard this year, our oven one slab of hot iron radiating non-stop from sun up to sun down. The oven door is an angry fire-breathing dragon. Trying to cool this old building has been a challenge, trying to keep the staff at a manageable temperature has been a challenge, trying to keep my sweat from rolling down the tip of my nose while I talk to customers has been a challenge. The heat index is climbing and all I want to do is hop in the pot sink in the back (try to keep that image out of your head, me in an apron, bubbles, a rubber ducky).

Trying to find a way to manage the heat, we've tried a million ideas that don't work. We've used frozen wet bandanas around our necks, but they just warm up instantly, drip down your shirt and don't do much good. Shorts just show off my untanned legs, fans just move the hot air around. We even tried filling a large container with ice water and setting it behind the fan.

The only two things that have really helped beat the heat are freeze pops and Becca's homemade “Gatorade.” (Please don't sue us Gatorade.)

Freeze pops are a staple in the freezer from June to September. They're cold, they're easy to store and they cool you down from the inside out. I'm always partial to the coolest flavors, Purple and Blue. Are they blue raspberry, blueberry, grape? Who knows, but they're good, they're filled with your daily requirement of sugar and food coloring, and they get the job done.

Becca's “Gatorade” mix is simple, cold and filled with electrolytes. We keep it in the fridge at all times and when it runs out you pick a different flavor, mix up a batch and you're back in business. I am partial to the Strawberry Lemonade, but I think the rest of staff is a Fruit Punch crowd.

So I am sharing our Electrolyte Kool-Aid/Gatorade recipe because the summer ain't over yet and you may need a refreshing, replenishing respite from the heat.

2 Packs Kool-Aid (Any flavor, feel free to mix and match)

1⁄2 cup Sugar

3⁄4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Salt Substitute

• Mix it, ice it and drink it.

Stay Cool.

—Matt