Making Something Fun To Drink….. Without the Added Sugar

One of the things the beverage manufacturers do really well is to present their sweetened products as “something fun to drink.” Soda and other sugary drinks come in many colors and flavors.

Using this theme what we really need to do is to make something “fun to drink” if we want to kick the sugared drink habit.

Here are a few ideas that can be made and stored in the refrigerator ahead of time.

Aqua Frescas. Agua fresca is a light, non-alcoholic beverage made by blending fresh fruit and water. It is super easy to throw a few fruits in the blender with water, blending, and straining into a pitcher. If it blends smooth enough you don’t need to strain. The standard ratio is about 1part of fruit to 4 parts water. This is a great way to use up leftover fruit that is a few days old.

Examples of simple aqua-fresca-style drinks include:

•Strawberries and water with a squeeze of orange

•Watermelon and water with lime juice

•Lime, cucumber, and mint

Fruit Teas. Fruit tea examples include hibiscus, peach, or berry, or any commercially available tea that has fruit it in. These are often sugar and caffeine free and they make a super pretty color when they are steeped. You only need about 3 tea bags per quart of water. These lend themselves to being stored in the “stanley cups” so they are transportable.

Cold brew. Many people love ice coffee. A true cold brew can be brewed in a French press with cold water and coffee grinds overnight. If you use decaf that is a bonus because it can be consumed any time of day. Of course you can also just ice your coffee!