In Search of a Decent Cooler

Took a break for the July 4th holiday and while I made a non-alcoholic cherry limeade drink for a gathering...it just wasn't worthy of its own post. Sweet and easy it was kind of like a fizzy punch: cut up limes, a jar of maraschino cherries, can of frozen limeade, and a liter of seltzer or club soda (I used lime flavored seltzer water). Meh. Refreshing and plentiful for a bbq, not too close to kool-aid, but certainly not high-quality. The website I poached it from (also calls for Sprite, not seltzer) said it was a dead-ringer for the cherry limeade the Sonic fast-food chain offers, but I wouldn't know.

In the same vein of summer coolers, however, I was inspired this week to try a sparkling strawberry cucumber sangria recipe from the Kitchn blog. Seemed tempting so I experimented on myself. 

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup orange liqueur, like Cointreau
1 (750-milliliter) bottle prosecco, cava, or other dry white sparkling wine, chilled
2 cups seltzer or club soda, chilled
Ice

The idea had great promise, but again:  Meh. There's actually so much fruit the bubbles get absorbed into it all, and the sangria turns flat rather quickly. Maybe it'd taste differently if I had Cointreau (mmm love that stuff) on hand, but I used triple sec and it was barely perceptible. Also weird - temperature. All my ingredients were pre-chilled, it was mixed in a cooler of sorts, I had 3 extra large ice cubes in it, consumed inside (instead of my humid af patio #lifeintheATL), and it still seemed cool-to-the-tongue-but-not-cold after one glass. Again, the volume of fruit probably has something to do with it? IDK. Perhaps there's a thermodynamics expert who can explain...

Anyway, the quest for a decent summer pitcher drink continues. I've got two tried-and-true sangria recipes that I have relied on for many a gathering, but I'm looking for something a bit different. Ideas?