On a hot day, the coolest drinks may surprise you

Hoping to beat the heat with a cool drink? For real refreshment, skip the soda and think yogurt or rosewater.

Westerners, always looking for the next big thing in beverages, could probably take a lesson from the Middle East. With summer temperatures from Tehran, Iran, to Cairo, Egypt, reaching well into the triple digits, the art of the cooling drink is a source of pride -- and self-preservation -- in many Middle Eastern homes.

Each region has its favorites worth checking out when that carbonated beverage you usually reach for leaves you cold -- but not in the way you had hoped.

Start with rosewater, water in which rose petals have been steeped, as an easy way to dress up regular tap or bottled water. The floral taste is reminiscent of the smell that fills your lungs when you inhale deeply from a rose in full bloom. Common to many Persian and Arab homes, rosewater is probably the most ubiquitously available item in Middle Eastern groceries.

"Rosewater is something that's always there in our foods and beverages," said May Bsisu, author of "The Arab Table: Recipes and Culinary Traditions." "Many times, we add it to the drinking water to make it more refreshing. In the olden days it was very valuable and when you had special guests and served them this to drink, it meant that you were honoring your guests."

In Iran, a sweet-and-sour syrup made with vinegar, sugar and fresh mint (called sharbat-e sekanjebin) is mixed with water and grated cucumber, then served over ice. The result is a crunchy, refreshing beverage -- and as many Iranian mothers have told their Iranian-American children: before there was Sprite, there was sekanjebin.

Chilled, savory yogurt drinks also are popular throughout the Middle East.

"Nothing beats a wonderful cold yogurt soup, an abdugh khiar, served with fresh herbs, cucumbers, raisins, nuts, rose petals and some ice cubes floating around in it," said Najmieh Batmanglij, an Iranian food writer who has written several books about traditional Iranian cooking.