Summer officially started yesterday and for anyone who has spent the season in the sweet south, you know how important it is to attempt to stay cool and hydrated. My first-choice cold beverage is un-sweet iced tea, preferably an entire pitcher that I can sip on throughout the day. However, I gave up caffeine a month or so ago and since then, haven’t had a drop of iced tea. I know I could drink decaf, but for now I’m on the wagon.
After my initial tea withdrawal symptoms (headaches, general fussiness, malaise…tee hee), I went through a major lemonade phase (which some might say is still going on….oh sugary lemonade, why must you taunt me so?). I’m trying to refrain from guzzling it daily, not wanting to replace one thing (caffeine) with another (sugar). Thanks to my mom, I think I’ve finally found my signature summer drink: cucumber water.
To make it, fill a large pitcher with water, add sliced cumbers, lime juice (or lemon juice) and a few sprigs of mint. Let this concoction sit in the fridge for maybe 24 hours and enjoy. It’s so refreshing and actually really good for you, as cucumber has some kind of detoxifying properties. Make sure you use organic cucumbers since most commercial varieties have that waxy coating on the outside. Feel free to go wild with herbs too, depending on what you like. I have a container herb garden stocked with a couple kinds of mint and lemon balm so I snipped a sprig of each and it tasted great.
I hope you are staying cool while the weather’s hot! What’s your favorite summertime drink?
