My friend Maggie over at Eat Boutique came over to my farm for a BBQ recently and brought along some beautiful and delicious flavored water. A few days later, she posted this on her blog. This post was originally written by Denise Woodward for Eat Boutique. See the original post here. – Diana

There’s something rustic and romantic about a cool pitcher of water adorning a summer picnic table and the ice cubes rattling about the glass jug.  There is also something relaxing about drinking those fruit and vegetable flavored waters on a spa visit that seems so…luxurious.  Thanks to Denise, now I can have both, at home. -Maggie

During the cold winter months, I drink tons of hot tea.  After my two cups of coffee that I allow myself during the morning, I switch over to grassy green teas or calming herbal blends.  It’s guaranteed if you walk into my office on a blistery day there will be a cup of tea sitting on my desk.

Now that things are warming up, however, I am searching for alternatives to replace that misty hot cup.  We are not soda drinkers, we feel that there is just too much sugar involved.  And we normally don’t keep juice around the house, unless we are squeezing it ourselves.  So, I have been playing with the elixir of life:  water.

Any given day the past month, if you walked into our house, you would have seen a big pitcher of sparkling water on the counter.   A big pitcher of flavored sparkling water, that is.  It has been great fun playing with different fruits, vegetables and even herbs to create just the right flavor combination.  Some of them work perfectly, and some don’t.  For instance, strawberries, despite what you might envision, are not my favorite floating around a pitcher of water.

Making your own flavored waters at home is quick and easy.  An added bonus:  a big glass of flavored water is much healthier, than say a soda, since I don’t mix in any added sugars or artificial flavorings.

It’s also an ideal kitchen project to get the kids involved.  They will love experimenting with different flavors so much that they will want to guzzle down the finished product.  I tested this theory when we had friends over with the little ones while I was trying different flavors.  I told them mint is what is used for making gum and before I knew it they were drinking glass after glass of minty water.

I’ve definitely decided on a few of my own favorite flavor combinations. Cucumber with lemongrass – a big glass of it makes me feel like I just walked out of the spa.  Blackberries with lemon and ginger –  slightly sweet and zingy, a great pick-me-up on a hot day.  Other favorites:  watermelon and rosemary, orange and thyme, and cucumber and mint.

All photos styled and taken by Denise Woodward.

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