68 Ways to Naturally Flavour Your Water

One of the perks of my “job” is convincing myself that I need something for “work” or “research” when in reality it’s just a cool object I want to add to my collection of stuff.

Case in point: the oversized glass drink dispenser. It’s been impossible not to notice the popularity of these party-sized urns in the past year or so, and they’ve been calling my name from the aisles of my favourite stores. I purchased one last week, and am anxious to spend the summer filling it with sangria, lemonade, and flavoured water.  

I’ve never had trouble meeting my daily quota of h2o, but infusing it with natural flavour is pretty much my favourite way to down it. Plus, it looks kind of pretty, don’t you think?  It only takes minutes to turn ordinary water into a serve-worthy drink for summer, and if a glass beverage dispenser isn’t on your kitchen wish list, any kind of clear pitcher, jar, jug, or bottle will do.

Here are some of my favourite flavour combinations. Sixty-eight of them to be exact. If using citrus fruits, squeeze the juices into the water before adding the segments, which will provide an additional burst of colour and taste to the pitcher. For the herbs, scrunch them up a bit in your hands before plopping them in to get the flavours flowing a little bit.

68 Ways to Naturally Flavour Your Water:

1. Blackberry, lavender, and lemon

2. Blackberry, lemon, and mint

3. Blackberry and lime

4. Blackberry, peaches, and ginger

5. Blackberry, lemon, and oranges

6. Cherry and lemon 

7. Cherry and lime 

8. Cherry and cantaloupe

9. Cherry and orange 

10. Cherry, raspberries, and mint

11. Blueberry, lemon, and lemon thyme

12. Blueberry, lavender, and lemon

13. Blueberry and lemon

14. Blueberry, watermelon, and lemon

15. Blueberry, peach, and lime

16. Blueberry and rhubarb, 

17. Blueberry, blackberry, strawberry

18. Blueberry and basil

19. Lemon and basil

20. Lemon and thyme

21. Lemon and rosemary

22. Lemon, rhubarb, and mint

23. Lemon and kiwi

24. Lemon, pink grapefruit, and orange

25. Oranges, peaches, and plums

26. Orange, blueberry, and basil

27. Orange and lemongrass

28. Orange and rosemary

29. Orange, lemon, and rosemary

30. Orange, pomegranate seeds, and mint

31. Lemon and lavender

32. Lime and mint

33. Pineapple and mango

34. Strawberry, blackberry, and orange

35. Strawberry, grapefruit, and plums

36. Strawberry and lime

37. Strawberry and lemon

38. Strawberry and mint

39. Strawberry, orange, and mint

40. Cucumber and basil

41. Strawberry, cucumber, and orange

42. Cucumber and lemon

43. Watermelon and rosemary

44. Orange, raspberry, and lime

45. Rhubarb, mint, and orange

46. Lemongrass, cilantro, and mint

47. Cucumber and pineapple

48. Cucumber and thyme

49. Cucumber, lemon, and lime

50. Cucumber, orange, and lime

51. Sliced cucumbers

52. Whole strawberries

53. Segmented oranges

54. Lemons wedges

55. Limes rounds

56. Blueberries

57. Blackberries

58. Watermelon cubes

59. Halved grapes 

60. Bunches of mint

61. Handfuls of basil

62. Cantaloupe chunks

63. Honeydew melon pieces

64. Pineapple and mint

65. Blackberry and sage

66. Peaches

67. Pineapple

68. Honeydew melon and cucumber

Did I miss you favourite combination or ingredient? How do you like to naturally infuse your water with flavour?

Comments

[Laura@HappyCanadianHome.com]

I just bought one of these yesterday! I'm printing this list off and plan to work my way through it over the summer ... thanks!

[Aimee @ Simple Bites]

Yes! Yes, and yes. Love this, Jan. And a little green over your cute drink dispenser. =)

[brandy]

Love this!

[Janet]

I love drinking water. I usually add citrus fruit to it.
How do you get the fruit flavor from the cantaloupe and blueberry,etc into the water? I never really thought of adding that kind of fruit to my water.
Have a beautiful weekend!

[Mary-Ann Setterington]

In addition to some awesome ideas for flavoured water (cherry & lime! pineapple & mango!) that is a lovely drink dispenser - where did you buy it? I'd love to have one like that for this summer.

[Sarah]

Strawberry and basil is an amazing flavor combo also! I can't wait to try these though.

[Emily @RandomRecycling]

I've had lemongrass growing in my garden for two years and haven't touched it. I'm so glad to have a reason to use it now!

[Chelsea]

I love these ideas but I have 2 questions-
1. How long does it take your family to drink an entire volume of 1 drink dispenser? If I leave lemon slices in my water bottle overnight, it tastes very sour the next day. Maybe refrigeration is the key if you plan to make a big batch for several days' use?

2. As someone else asked above, what are your recommendations for using smaller fruits in your recipes?

[Danielle]

I love these big water dispensers...I'm not sure why they are so fun, but they are. These fruit combos look great, especially the blackberry ones. Do you know how long these keep if you make them and put them in the fridge before the taste starts to turn "funky"?