Summertime and the Living is Easy (Flavored Water)

It's been a bit steamy here lately (ahem, 101 yesterday), and when the temps are that scorching I drink gallons and gallons of water...  Fortunately, now that we are back in Michigan, we have my parents' pool for some time to refresh, relax, and cool down...

Yesterday when we showed up, my mom had even experimented with some flavored water for a refreshing twist!

(I can take no credit for putting these together.  All the credit goes to my mom. I simply tasted, evaluated, and enjoyed.)  :)

Recipe: (from nancycreative.com)


Watermelon-Basil Water
2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
10 basil leaves
1 half-gallon of water

Pour water over melon and basil; refrigerate for 2 hours.  Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of basil.


Lemon-Lime Water
lemons
limes
water

Pour water over lemons and limes; refrigerate for 2 hours.

And the website has lots more combinations!


Verdict:
Sometimes you get a little sick of just plain water....  This was the perfect way to liven up a summer beverage menu that was a much healthier choice than pop, juice, etc...  Plus the flavor of the fruit was quite light.  Personally, I'm not a fan of mass marketed flavored waters (Propel etc.).  The flavor is too heavy and very fake.  This flavor was very genuine because, duh, genuine fruits were used.  And there was just a hint of the flavor.  Enough to enjoy, not so much that it was overwhelming.


Not a bad way to spend a hot, sunny Thursday afternoon...

So.....  Since it looks like it's going to be hot as blazes for awhile now, try one of these recipes for a refreshing summer beverage!