lime & mint infused water ~

Infused water is a perfect thirst quencher ~ easy, healthy, inexpensive. The options and flavors for infusing are everywhere ~ Pinterest, food & drink blogs, magazines ~ but guess what?

I’ve got three tips and tricks for making infused water even better 🙂

I love things that are SCBD ~ SMALL change, BIG difference!

Here’s my first tip ~

Citrus flavors are my favorite, but they can turn a little bitter before the flavor is fully infused. The bitterness comes from the white part of the peel, so I remove it and use only the fruit pulp. Slice off both ends, stand the fruit up and remove the peel. Then slice the fruit into rounds, halves or quarters depending on the best size.

Use a flat knife to remove the bitter white pith from the peel. Hold the peel pieces flat on the cutting board and run the knife under the pith with a wiggle motion, leaving just the colored peel. Save the trimmed peel strips for my next trick!

And now a trick ~

Ice costs basically nothing and can make a drink extra special. I freeze ice in different ways and then toss it into a freezer bag for use whenever. Think outside the ice tray and try this trick! Trim the bottom off of a few plastic soda bottles ~ the fluted bottoms freeze ice that looks like a flower. The bottles come in different sizes ~ small individual bottles to big 2 liter size ~ and I’ve saved a few different sizes. The trimmed bottle ends nest inside each other when not in use, so they store in a tiny space.

The peel strips are good for cocktails of course, or put a few in to freeze with the ice. Freeze, pop out the frozen flower shapes and store in a freezer bag. Here’s a photo of a few from the freezer.

And here’s my third tip ~

There are lots of pitchers with infuser inserts, or you can make an over-sized tea bag from plastic wrap and prick a few holes with a small knife to use in any pitcher. But I have found the BEST pitcher! Why is it the best? Because it’s acrylic and leak-proof, which means it’s PERFECT for transporting any beverage to concerts, picnics, tailgates ~ or just to the neighbor’s house for afternoon lemonade. I use these pitchers for everything ~ sangria, pitcher cocktails, iced tea, and yes, infused water. I have a few different ones with different inserts, and love them because you can just stash them in the cooler and go! No fuss and no spills 🙂

I made the lime & mint water in the morning using the perfect pitcher, and then enjoyed it in the afternoon ~ and no bitter taste, just refreshing lime & mint.  The special ice with the lime peel strips and a fresh mint garnish made it extra pretty. Three tips that are SCBD ~ SMALL change, BIG difference!

I caught up on email and blogs from my Haven friends, while enjoying some afternoon sunshine and my favorite lime & mint infused water ~ happy afternoon y’all!