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

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Ingredients

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

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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/