Nothing is more thirst-quenching on hot summer days than homemade infused water. You can add pretty much anything that comes to mind, or whatever the basket offers after a trip to the herb bed and vegetable patch. A cucumber-mint-lemon mix is one of the most pleasant and refreshing drinks, brilliant during heatwaves. Here is a super-simple recipe!

Benefits of infused water

This is an ideal drink to cool down and rehydrate in midsummer. Lemon and mint are classic choices because they aid digestion. Aside from its attractive appearance, the main benefits of such a drink are hydration and flavour, not a significant vitamin boost. It also helps avoid reaching for a sweeter drink, such as fruit juice, a lemonade, or worse, a smoothie or a beer!

The recipe

Nothing complicated, and that's what we like in summer! You just need to prepare it at least 2 hours in advance. Get a mandoline or a knife, a chopping board and a glass carafe or jug.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cucumber, organic if possible, or better still from the vegetable patch
  • 2 sprigs of mint
  • 1 organic lemon
  • 1 litre of mineral water
  • Wash cucumber, mint and lemon;
  • Slice cucumber into thin slices or ribbons with a mandoline. If you harvested it from the vegetable patch or bought an organic cucumber, keep the skin — it's prettier and adds (a little) vitamins. Otherwise peel it before slicing;
  • Wash lemon well, then cut into wedges or slices;
  • Place them in the glass carafe with the mint leaves picked off the stems;
  • Add the water and stir with a large spoon;
  • Chill the carafe in the fridge for at least 2 hours;
  • Serve well chilled, dividing the mint and pieces of cucumber and lemon among the glasses… It's pretty!

How to serve and store infused water?

This water can be drunk at any time of day, first thing in the morning or after exercise, with meals or whenever thirst strikes.
In the fridge, infused water (vegetable- or fruit-based) keeps for 2 to 3 days maximum. So you can prepare it the day before. After that, the vegetable softens too much, the appearance becomes less appealing, and the lemon dominates too much, making the drink bitter if you leave the peel on.

Variations

Let your imagination run wild, or dip into seasonal fruit and veg you have in the kitchen, to vary from this fairly classic cucumber-mint-lemon water.
For example:

  • cucumber-ginger-grapefruit mix
  • cucumber-kiwi mix for colour or a green theme!
  • watermelon-coconut-water-lemon mix
  • or the ultra-fresh melon-lemon-lemon balm blend.

Sparkling water can replace still water for an equally thirst-quenching drink.

Lemon remains the most practical as it's often in the house and easy to find in summer. It can, of course, be replaced by lime, grapefruit or any other citrus available, but always choose organic.

You can lightly sweeten the water when preparing it by adding 1 teaspoon of honey or agave syrup and stirring. But infused or detox waters are much better without!