Summer is here! And with it comes rising temperatures, making it all the more important to stay hydrated. If you get tired of plain water, you can liven things up with fruit-infused water.
Normally my go-to drink is a Diet Coke, but despite how much I like it, it doesn’t quench my thirst in the summer. I know water is the best drink for keeping the body hydrated, but sometimes it just seems boring. At the same time, I’m not crazy about buying flavored waters or sports drinks. I always enjoy when a restaurant surprises me with a slice of lemon in my water, so I decided to try some different ways to give my water that extra something special.
Here are some recipes I have tried.
Citrus Splash: Add a slice or two each of lemon, lime, and orange to your water. Adding a single slice gives a large water glass a little bit of zing. Adding two slices each provides a lot of flavor.
Strawberry-Cucumber: A friend recommended this combination. I went a little wild with the amount of each, and I learned that a little cucumber goes a long way. The strawberry added some sweetness, and the cucumber added crispness. However if you put equal amounts of each, the cucumber tends to overpower the strawberry, which you might like, but it was a bit much for me. I recommend twice the amount of strawberries as cucumbers. I even enjoyed just strawberries in my water.
Blueberry-Orange: For a large glass, add a small handful of blueberries and a few orange slices. Because the blueberries are not sliced or punctured, their flavor pales in comparison to other fruits. If you want more blueberry flavor, you could use a muddler (or a straw) to slightly mash the blueberries.
Strawberry-Kiwi: This is one of my favorites. It has a nice blend of sweet and tart. I actually am in love with anything with strawberry right now (if you haven’t noticed). They not only taste great, but they also provide vibrant color and they are tough enough to withstand soaking in water all day without losing their flavor. And the kiwi adds a nice touch.
Depending on the amount of fruit you add to your glass, you can refill the water, keeping the fruit in the glass, and enjoy a second (or even third) serving without replacing the fruit. I find this especially helpful when I am out and about and refilling my water without adding ice; the fruit helps make up for not having super chilled water.
Another way to liven up your water is to add flavored ice cubes.
Citrus Cubes: Filling ice cube trays with lemon juice, lime juice, or orange juice creates an easy way to add flavor to a glass of water over time. As the water warms (and becomes blah), the cubes start to melt and provide an extra burst of flavor.
Fruit Cubes: Puree fresh or frozen fruit in a blender and add a little water, if necessary, to create a pouring consistency. Pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. I tried pureed strawberries (surprise, surprise), and I really liked it. The cubes added a nice punch of color and provided more flavor than adding sliced strawberries to the water. However, as the cubes melted, they released tiny bits of strawberry (similar to pulp in orange juice, but much smaller). It did not impact the flavor at all, but if seeing the tiny bits floating in your glass might bother you, you might want to stick to straight fruit slices.
I also enjoyed a strawberry-lemonade water by adding a few strawberry cubes and a few lemon juice cubes to a water bottle. It was a true treat compared to water and didn’t contain the sugar that normally accompanies strawberry lemonade from a restaurant or a bottle.
I would be remiss if I didn’t share a few more tips.
Rather than pureeing your fruit to make ice cubes, you can simply freeze the fruit slices and use them to chill and flavor your water or iced tea. Using the freezer also prolongs the life of your fresh fruit. If you don’t want all of your fruit to stick together (creating the need to pound it on the counter or take a knife to it to break it apart), spread out the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once they are frozen, you can then combine all the slices together in a baggie or container, and when you take them out of the freezer to add to your beverage, you can easily remove as many individual slices as you like.
The final idea I have to share is to create a fruit-infused container of water (as opposed to a single glass). If you normally keep a large water container in the refrigerator, you can add a larger amount of fruit to the container, and then when you fill your glass from it, it will be instantly flavored. Be aware that the flavor intensifies over time, so the longer it stays in the container, the stronger the fruit flavor. If you want to quickly make a batch of fruit-infused water, toss a bag of frozen fruit (berries, peaches, mangos, …) into the container and then fill with water.
Do not limit yourself to the ideas presented here. Feel free to be adventurous and try different fruits, herbs, and/or combinations. As long as you like the ingredients you add to your water, there is a very good chance you will enjoy the result. I hope you have fun being creative and staying hydrated!
Have you tried other combinations to infuse your water with flavor? Share your recipes and concoctions here.
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