When the body needs water our brains send the signal of thirst – an essential survival mechanism that maintains fluid balance. Having a full water bottle on hand is one of the best habits to make sure you stay hydrated. But even with all of the high-tech water bottles on the market, most people just don’t drink enough water. This becomes a problem because every process in the body requires water.
Of course we love water, but sometimes we’re looking for something a little less…meh. The requisite lemon wedge is always nice, but we’re often left wanting more. Let’s explore some ways to jazz it up a bit and transform your water from hydration to a fancy beverage. Make sure to check out our super hydrating summer drink recipes at the end of this post!
Here is a simple formula for dressing up your water cup:
MUDDLED FRUIT + HERBS + LIQUID BASE + CITRUS + OPTIONAL ADD-INS
MUDDLED FRUIT: Soft fruits work best. You can use a drink muddler for this, but you can also put the fruit in a bowl and break it up with a fork. You just want to make sure that the fruit is broken up and kind of mashed.
- Berries
- Ripe nectarines or peaches coarsely chopped
- Pitted cherries
- Watermelon
- Melon
HERBS: Here are a few of our favorite combinations – just chop coarsely and muddle with fruit before adding liquids.
- Mint + Watermelon
- Basil + Peach
- Rosemary + Grapefruit
- Sage + Blackberry
- Lemon verbena + ANYTHING!
- Cilantro + Lime + Honeydew
LIQUID BASE: Go for color and flavor.
- Herbal Tea – We love hibiscus for its gorgeous color and rich flavor. Steep four bags in a cup of boiling water to increase the density of flavor. Our favorite brand is Republic of Tea.
- Green Tea – Everything from matcha to yerbe mate, it’s all good. Be sure to select caffeinated varieties as the health-promoting flavonoids are destroyed during the decaffeination process.
- Lemon Tea – Add the rind from a lemon to 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes then let sit to infuse.
- Ginger Tea – Peel and coarsely chop 2” piece of ginger and bring to a boil in two cups of water. Simmer for 5 minutes then let sit to infuse.
CITRUS: Squeeze in to finish and add some slices for visual impact.
- Lime
- Lemon
- Orange
- Grapefruit
ADD-INS:
- Splash of sparkling water – Everyone loves a little fizz!
- Cucumber – Nothing screams refreshing quite like cucumber! Just peel and process in a blender to purée. About 1/2 cucumber per drink works.
- Chia seed – Add chia seed to make a Chia Fresca! This seed holds more than 30x its weight in water and can help maintain hydration long after you have emptied your glass. Try adding 1 teaspoon to your glass and stir well. Let sit for 10 minutes before drinking.
- Stevia or a touch of agave for added sweetness
HYDRATING SUMMER DRINK RECIPES:
- Cilantro-Lime Melon Cooler: honey dew + cilantro + matcha green tea + lime juice + cucumber
- Ultimate Aqua Fresca: strawberry + mint + hibiscus tea + lime + sparkling water
- Fuzzy Peach-Basil Chia Fresca: peach + basil + peach green tea + lemon + chia seed
- Blackberry-Sage Cooler: blackberries + sage leaf [just one will do] + berry green tea + sparkling water
- Citrus Rosemary Refresher – nectarine + rosemary [just a few leaves with stem for garnish] + green tea + grapefruit + cucumber
Check out some of our other summer hydration tips!