Arguably one of the most anticipated parts of summer is rapidly approaching: specialty drink items at fast food restaurants.

With the summer of 2026 expected to be one of the hottest on record, if anyone is looking for a fruity and refreshing drink to cool off, here are a few suggestions.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s has recently been rolling out its refreshers, which are chill, fruity lemonade-based drinks best for cooling down after a hot day. They come in Blackberry Passion Fruit, Mango Pineapple and Strawberry Watermelon flavors.

Simultaneously, it is launching dirty sodas with cream and flavor inserts. Popularized in Utah, dirty sodas have been taking off nationwide in recent years.

Dunkin Donuts

There are now Limeade refreshers coming out at Dunkin Donuts, with flavors ranging from raspberry to matcha. At select stores, these drinks will be sold in 48-oz buckets beginning on May 22.

Dunkin has also debuted the Cherry Lime Rickey Refresher in recent weeks, combining the preexisting Black Cherry Refresher with the tartness from recently added limeades.

These drinks are accompanied with the new Fruit Punch Donut, which is a standard yeast donut with fruit punch icing and fruit punch-flavored sprinkles on top.

“I loved the new drink, but the fruit punch donut was so gross,” sophomore Mai Abdalla said. “If you go to Dunkin, don’t get the donut. But you need the drink.”

Starbucks

Meanwhile, at Starbucks, the Tropical Butterfly Refresher has debuted in various editions, with a wide range of unique flavors from passionfruit to guava to pineapple. It also comes in varying levels of caffeination, from none to extra.

“The butterfly drink was good, but it wasn’t good enough for what I paid for,” sophomore Uma Kartha said. “The purple bit didn’t have any flavor. It was a missed opportunity to add dragon fruit.”

Additionally, the Blue Coconut Refresher is set to be released on June 16, with an electric blue color and an expected creamy and vibrant flavor profile.

Local Options

However, if you are looking for local options at small businesses, try one of Doppio Bunny’s housemade sodas or juices, or a refreshing smoothie.

At Goosecup in downtown Leesburg, try a mocktail or signature iced coffee beverage. Or, sample a signature drink at Bkd Bagels, with coffees, chais and lattes all on the year-round menu.

“Doppio’s smoothies are so good,” sophomore Leeza Ovcharenko said. “I go there pretty much every morning, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them.”