The weather is warming up and it’s pretty tempting to reach for a soft drink or sugary fruit juice. Even if fruit juice is marketed as a healthy alternative to soft drink, it comes as a surprise to find out that it can contain as much sugar as a soft drink.
A 250ml processed orange juice can contain 5 teaspoons of sugar, while apple juice can contain a whopping 10 teaspoons of sugar per 350ml.
You’ll also be surprised to find out how easy it is to make your own refreshing and healthy summer drink. Over the next coming weeks, we’ll be showcasing some of our favourite summer drinks including kombucha, cold pressed juices and healthy smoothies.
This week, we’re showing you how to make the most delicious and refreshing citrus infused water. We’ve combined rosemary, mint, citrus fruit and water to create a drink that’s not too sweet and has a fragrant flavour.
Our rosemary and mint plants are going wild in the backyard, so what better excuse to use them than making a fruit infused herb drink? If you haven’t tried growing herbs, then rosemary and mint have to be the easiest to grow. They are low maintenance plants and are perfect for adding flavours to the healthy juices you make. Mint and rosemary are good for digestion, while citrus fruit contains vitamin C.
This drink not only tastes good but is good for you. A fruit infused water is a healthy alternative to soft drinks, cordial or processed fruit drinks. And, it’s just as refreshing!
Ingredients:
- Sprigs of rosemary.
- Bunch of mint.
- Citrus fruit including lemon, grapefruit and lime.
- Water or sparkling mineral water.
Directions:
Cut your citrus fruit into large chunks and put in the bottom of a Mason jar. We’ve added a combination of different citrus fruits including grapefruit, lemon and lime. You may like to have one or two of these fruits instead, but it’s best to experiment with flavours to suit your taste.
Add sprigs of rosemary and a handful of mint to your Mason jar. If you haven’t tried a herb infused fruit drink before, you may find the rosemary flavour a little strong. You could add a little bit of rosemary to your drink and then add more once the flavours are fully infused.
Next, fill your Mason jar with filtered water or sparkling mineral water. The sparkling mineral water is extra refreshing on a hot summer (or spring) day. Filtered water is a healthy option and, unlike mineral water, contains no salt.
You can pop a lid on your jar or a piece of muslin or cheesecloth (secured with a piece of string) and leave it in the refrigerator. After a few hours, the lovely citrus and herb flavours will have infused into your water.
Pour the water into a glass and add ice cubes. You can top up your jar with more water and place back into the refrigerator. I usually keep a batch for a day and top us as needed.
Enjoy your refreshing, fruit infused mocktail… delicious!
