As you know, not all ingredients are created equal. The smoothie shops can lure you in with their goodies that pose as "healthy" or "good for you." After all, most have fruit and sometimes supplements in them, right? True, but many may also have hidden sugars, fats and even chemical fillers. Do you really want to wreck your workout or healthy eating efforts with that sort of thing?

Friend to addled French poets Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud, painter Vincent Van Gogh and gothic occultist Aleister Crowley, absinthe is a legend in its own right—an existential pondering over melting ice, a partner in psychotropic pursuits and one of the strongest alcoholic drinks ever made. Is it all its history claims? What is absinthe's allure?

Beat the heat this summer with aguas frescas, all-natural drinks flavored with fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds and starches. A simple and traditional favorite in Mexico and Latin America, these cooling “water refreshments” come in a variety of tastes and colors and stand up against the hot sun and hotter food from that part of the world.

Summer fruits are here, and the grocery store shelves are practically exploding with peaches, plums, nectarines, cantaloupes, strawberries and apricots. If just thinking of them makes your mouth water, don't stop at eating them fresh. Show off their bright color and flavor -- and kick off any summer fiesta -- with this light white wine sangria.

"Cool as a cucumber" isn't just an expression. Cucumbers help lower your blood pressure, making you feel refreshed and clear-headed even when it's muggy out. Cucumbers are also just coming into season: If you didn't plant them in your own garden, you're bound to find them at the farmers market. Make the most of their blood-cooling effect with these refreshing drink recipes.

Perhaps you’re not a big fan of the red wine blend that you coughed up five whole smackers for (thanks, Trader Joes!)… or you just found out that you’re pregnant… or your sole vice in life plagues you with terrible wine-induced migrane headaches (um… some sacrifices are worth it, I guess?). Whatever reason you may find yourself scratching your head while pondering how on earth you can make the most of your remaining wine dregs, you’ve come to the right place. Behold five shiny new ways to turn that leftover juice into something that Momma Nature would be proud of:

You don’t need to go to a spa to treat yourself to delightfully refreshing fruit- and herb-infused water. This seemingly fancy-pants water is actually quite easy to make.

Simply pick up some of this season’s delectable fresh fruits, snip some herbs from your garden, grab a pitcher of ice-cold water and mix it all together. Drink up. (Maybe you could ask your significant other for a massage while you're sipping.) When you’re thirsty again, repeat with different combinations of fruits and herbs.

Can there possibly be anything more refreshing than a cool cocktail straight from the garden? I doubt it. Garden cocktails feel like a luxurious extravagance, but in truth they're relatively healthy and easy to make. Here are recipes for three delicious drinks to spice up your weekend, all made with foods from your own garden (or farmers market).

If you ask Jim Collins, he has great things to say about organic farming and winemaking. He defines it quite concisely: “To be an organic grower, your focus is taking out synthetic chemicals from your operation,” he states. Of course, in his vineyard, he strives to do that.

Even if you can’t make it to Hawaii this season, you can still bring a bit of the tropics into your life (and into your belly) with these recipes for tropical cocktails, all picked up on the island of Maui.

Most tropical cocktails are made with rum, a spirit long associated with island life, pirates and frou-frou umbrella drinks. Use top-shelf liquors to lessen your hangover, and buy organic when you can – our favorite is Papagayo Organic Fairtrade White Rum from Maison Jomère. And please – save the artificially flavored liquors for the tourists and the frat boys.