Watermelon Rosemary Flavored Water

I drink a lot of water, but in the summertime, flavored waters hold a certain appeal to me. Yet, I know they are not all natural and many have artificial sweeteners. So, when I came across suggestions for various all-natural, flavored waters recently, I decided to give it a go.

To me, the watermelon looked most appealing for its sweetness. While I used rosemary this time, I think I will try spearmint the next time. The rosemary was wonderful, however. I did not muddle it, as the original instructions called for, as rosemary is a rather potent herb and could be overwhelming. A small sprig floating is the water will provide a hint of flavor after a couple hours of steeping. If you prefer a more pronounced herb flavor, crush the leaves a bit. Muddling it with the fruit will bring out the strongest flavor. All that said, you could omit the herbs entirely and go with all fruit.

I estimated the amount of fruit and mashed the first 3/4 cups or so and added the second 3/4 cups as small chunks. I sort of like having cold melon pieces to eat as I drink–reminiscent of sangria! Mash all the melon if you prefer.

Here is a link to the original recipe at The Yummy Life and my version below. Other flavor options include blackberry sage, all citrus, and pineapple mint.

By the way, when my 10-year-old first sipped this drink, he mentioned, somewhat disappointed, that it wasn’t sweet. Based on the color, I think he expected Kool-Aid. When I explained the concept, he thought about it then asked for a refill. It’s all about managing expectations!

Watermelon Rosemary Flavored Water

Ingredients

1 1/2 quarts water
1 1/2 cups cubed watermelon
1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

Place half the watermelon in a pitcher and mash well. Add the remaining watermelon and the rosemary, then fill with 1 1/2 quarts of cold water.
Refrigerate up to 3 days and enjoy!

Notes

If you wanted an even sweeter drink–like a lemonade–you could add some simple syrup. Hmmm…that’s making me think that watermelon lemonade would be quite tasty, too!

The Fountain Avenue Kitchen https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/