Beverage pitchers come in handy during the lazy days and festive nights of the warmest months. Your guests can serve themselves a cold drink without having to rummage in the freezer for ice. Plus they’re pretty, even when empty and convenient (just when you notice the houseplants are drooping). OK, so this one isn’t exactly “pretty,” but it will keep your beverage chilled, not watered down or flavored by melted ice. The Polar pitcher iceless drink pitcher ($19.50) has a leak-free aluminum tube in the center that holds the ice separately. Its stable base is good around kids and comes with a fitted lid. Sleek enough to impress associates at business meetings, CB2’s stainless steel water pitcher ($29.95) is definitely a long, tall drink of water. If you love the look of ceramic, there are pitchers aplenty. Also at CB2 is the Nilsson large pitcher ($39.95), which looks vintage modern and comes in stylish shades of aqua, brown, green and yellow. A pitcher perhaps too pretty for actual use is Brenda Quinn’s ceramic pitcher ($200, plus $20 for shipping and handling), from The Artful Home. Who knows how many ounces it holds? The artist seems not to have considered such things when creating this gorgeous wheel-thrown, hand-built pitcher with inlaid glaze. Which isn’t to say elegance and function can’t go together. One look at Crate and Barrel’s handblown Ona pitchers ($16.95 to $26.95), with their embedded off-center handles and great price, will make you fall quickly out of love with your trusty old Rubbermaid. If new love isn’t enough, you’ll become obsessed with the artisan Cal Breed’s opaque curly pitchers ($210, plus $20 for shipping and handling). These exquisitely colored, blown glass vessels are quite freshing to the eye. Want something classic and simple? The Acapulco pitcher ($12.50) available at Amazon.com epitomizes most people’s idea of “pitcher.” Are you thirsty yet?