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?
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!
Posted by: Laura@HappyCanadianHome.com | 05/17/2013 at 09:40 AM
Yes! Yes, and yes. Love this, Jan. And a little green over your cute drink dispenser. =)
Posted by: Aimee @ Simple Bites | 05/17/2013 at 09:50 AM
Love this!
Posted by: brandy | 05/17/2013 at 04:27 PM
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!
Posted by: Janet | 05/18/2013 at 06:02 AM
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.
Posted by: Mary-Ann Setterington | 05/19/2013 at 10:06 PM
Strawberry and basil is an amazing flavor combo also! I can't wait to try these though.
Posted by: Sarah | 05/20/2013 at 09:35 AM
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!
Posted by: Emily @RandomRecycling | 05/21/2013 at 11:19 AM
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?
Posted by: Chelsea | 05/21/2013 at 11:57 AM
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"?
Posted by: Danielle | Backyard Zest | 08/18/2016 at 07:37 AM