Here’s a simple way to jazz up your water: Half Frozen Fresh Minted Lemon Water. This is a classic flavor combo that I discovered back in high school when I played on the Varsity Tennis Team.The story goes…
Char’s Water. One day at tennis practice, one of my ‘fancy-gourmet’ teammates, Charlotte, brought her water bottle stuffed with ice cubes, lemon slices and mint leaves. It created quite a buzz on the courts so she gave us each a taste and wow! It’s amazing what a little mint and lemon can do for your bottled water. The entire team picked up on the trend and we’d all stuff mint and lemons in our water. How chic of us. The mint and lemon flavors got me though many long, hot, sweltering tennis practices. Here’s the simple recipe with tips. And I’ll even share a photo of me in my tennis team days…
Half Frozen. This water tastes best when it is cold. But it’s also nice to have the sun warm the lemon and mint so it seeps into the water. So here’s my trick. I’d fill my water bottle about ¼ of the way full with purified water. Then I’d stick it in the freezer overnight. Then in the afternoon before practice I’d grab my bottle, stuff it with lemon and mint and fill it to the brim with water. Then I’d tote it to practice and it’s stay cold, but the sun would still warm the mint and lemon and turn it into a ‘sun tea’ of sorts, minus the tea. You can also just stick the water, mint, lemon and a few ice cubes into a bottle. It will still be delicious!
Fresh Mint. Very very important. You must use fresh high quality mint. If it’s not bright green and aromatic, don’t use it. The quality of mint will really influence the quality of the water flavor. Fresh organic mint is ideal. I’ve also found that organic lemons have a brighter flavor than non-organic. Plus, since you will be using the rind, the organic is a safer bet.
Charlotte’s Half-Frozen Fresh-Minted Lemon Water
14 ounces of water
ice cubes or frozen water as ¼
handful of fresh mint
2-4 slices of lemon
*about ½ a small lemon will work
Optional Add-ins: plain coconut water, aloe vera, sea salt, fresh berries, cayenne, sparkling water or additional citrus slices (grapefruit/orange/lime)
Enjoy!
Circa 1998. And here’s that photo I promised you (I’m on the right)…
