Keep Kool
In the dog days of summer, you need something to restore your cool. To refresh and replace your energy. And I have just the thing to do that. Infused water can be made quickly and kept in the fridge for a couple of days refilling your pitcher as needed.
Infused water is a combination of fruits and vegetables, sometimes herbs, with water. Sometimes sweetener is involved and sometimes not. It’s left to sit and allow the fruits and veggies to impart their delicate flavors into the water. And that’s all there is to it. Simple, huh?
I’ve tried lots of combinations and have to say that the watermelon and lime combo is one of my favorites. I’ve tried it with herbs, too, but for me, the herbs are just overpowering. I prefer only fruit and veggies.
What You’ll Love About Infused Water
Easy! It’s quick and easy to make with common ingredients.
Fresh Flavors. Fruit infused water is so much more refreshing than sugary sodas.
Novelty. Kids love the idea of pieces of fruit floating in their drink :-)
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fruit and Vegetables (Use your choice of fruits and/or vegetables for your water. Berries and citrus fruits always work as well as cucumbers.)
Sweetener (The sweetener is optional. I use Swerve in my recipes from time to time. You can use a natural sweetener like stevia or even honey, coconut sugar, or agave.)
Water (Tap water is perfectly fine. If you want to be a little “fancier” you could use sparkling water.)
Fun straws also create a party feel and make water special. (optional)
How to Make Infused Water
Start by prepping your fruits and veggies. For this fruit flavored water, I used cucumbers, strawberries, and pink grapefruit. It’s also good with oranges if grapefruit just isn’t your thing.
To prepare the cucumbers, I peel away all but a few strips of green because I find the cucumber peel imparts some bitterness that I don’t especially care for. You do whatever you like.
Layer the fruits and veggies in a pretty pitcher.
Dissolve the sweetener (use whatever you like – I use Swerve) in a couple of cups of water and pour that over the fruit if you need it to be sweeter.
Finish filling the pitcher with fresh tap or bottled water.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours to give the flavors time to infuse.
Serve over ice.
Favorite Recipes
There are literally hundreds of different fruit and vegetable combinations for infused water. Some of my favorites are:
Strawberry, lemon, and mint
Cucumber and pineapple
Watermelon (muddled) and lime juice and lime slices.
Mango and raspberry with basil leaves
Lemon and lime
Cucumber, lemon, and celery
Apple, pear, and cinnamon stick
Kiwi and orange
Watermelon and grapes (halved)
Storing Infused Water
Store in the fridge for about two days. The infused water will still be good after that time, but the fruit will start to be a little too soft and can turn the water bitter.